국화과에 속하는 단풍취의 추출물이 가지는 알츠하이머에 대한 효과를 알기 위하여 AChE에 대한 억제효과와 peroxy-nitrite 소거효과를 연구하였다. 단풍취 추출물은 AChE에 대한 억제효과로서 그 IC50가 73.4 μg/ml이었으며 peroxynitrite 소거효과에 관한 IC50는 8.60 μg/mL이었으므로 알츠하이머 질환에 유익할 것으로 판단된다. 단풍취에 가장 많이 함유된 성분인 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid 성분의 활성도 이와 유사한 활성을 보였으므로 단풍취 추출물의 효과는 주로 이 화합물의 활성에 따른 것으로 예상된다. Caffeoylquinic acid가 알츠하이머 질환에 효과있다는 보고가 있으므로 이 식물의 잎과 줄기 추출물에서 6종의 지표물질을 이용하여 정량법을 확립한 후 정량하였다. 그 결과 잎에서는 성분 함량이 25.1%를 차지하여 줄기의 함량보다 훨씬 높았다. 특히 잎 추출물 중 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid의 함량이 145.6 ㎎/g에 달하여 알츠하이머 질환 치료에 유익할 것으로 예상된다.

쉽싸리(L. lucidus)가 가지는 효능의 하나로 알려진 항염증 효과의 활성물질을 파악하기 위하여 본 연구를 수행하였다. 항염효과는 LPS로 활성화한 macrophage 264.7이 생산하는 NO의 감소효과를 측정함으로써 평가하였다. 쉽싸리 추출물에서 얻은 비극성 분획물인 CHCl3 분획물은 농도의존적으로 현저히 NO 생산을 감소시켰다. 이에 비해 극성 분획물인 BuOH 분획물은 그 효과가 약하였다. Silica gel column chromatography에 의해 이 CHCl3 분획물로부터 주요 화합물인 ursolic acid를 분리하고 분광학적 방법으로 동정할 수 있었다. 효과가 약하였던 BuOH 분획물로부터 diaion HP-20 column chromatography와 sephadex LH-20 column chromatography로 이 분획의 주요 화합물인 rosmarinic acid를 분리하고 역시 분광학적 방법으로 동정하였다. Ursolic acid는 농도의존적으로 NO 생산을 억제하였으나 rosmarinic acid는 그 효과가 상대적으로 약하였다. 이러한 사실로부터 쉽싸리의 항염효과는 주로 ursolic acid의 존재 때문임을 알 수 있었다.

Since the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, the present study aimed to analyze the component with anti-AChE activity from the essential oil of Artemisia iwayomogi (Compositae). The four major components of the essential oil were identified to be camphor (29.8%), borneol (28.0%), eucalyptol (5.81%) and coumarin (5.49%) from a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil and its three components, camphor, borneol, and coumarin, were subjected to anti-AChE assay. The IC50 values of the essential oil and coumarin were shown to be 0.298 ㎎/㎖ and 0.236 ㎎/㎖, though those of other two components, camphor and borneol, were more than 0.250 ㎎/㎖. These results suggest that coumarin is an active substance of this essential oil with anti-AChE activity.

Five caffeoylquinic acids of Aster altaicus var. uchiyamae Kitamura (Compositae) leaves were identified using standard compounds by HPLC and determined as follows: 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4.92 ± 0.06 ㎎/g dried weight), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3.95 ± 0.13 ㎎/g), 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (1.39 ± 0.10 ㎎/g), 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid, 8.05 ± 0.21 ㎎/g), 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4.97 ± 0.18 ㎎/g). The total content of five caffeoylquinic acids were calculated as 26.73 ± 0.26 ㎎/g dried weight while the percentage of the five compounds in the MeOH extract was calculated as 25.22 ± 0.25%. The IC50 value of the MeOH extract scavenging peroxynitrite (ONOO - ) was shown as 5.16 ± 0.15 ㎍/㎖.

To develop a clinically available saponin- or sapogenin complex from Oriental medicines, the EtOH extract (KPRG-A) was obtained by extracting from the four crude drugs, Kalopanacis Cortex, Platycodi Radix, Rubi Fructus and Glycyrrhizae Radis. The BuOH fraction (KPRG-B), a crude saponin complex, was prepared by fractionating KPRG-A, which were further completely hydrolyzed to afford the sapogenin complex (KPRG-D). In an attempt to find the antinoicpetive effects of the saponin complex and sapogenin complex, KPRG-C, and -D, were assayed by writhing-, hot plate-, and tail-flick tests using mice or rats. The three samples were also subjected to antiiflammatory tests using serotonin-induced and carrageenan-induced hind paw edema mice and rats, respectively. The three samples significantly reduced inflammations and pains of the experimental animal. The potency were found in the order of KPRG-D> KPRG-C> KPRG-B. The most active sample, KPRG-D, caused no death, no body increase or no anatomical pathlogic change even at 2,000 mg/kg dose. These results suggest that a sapogenin complex, KPRG-D, which was found to contain mainly hederagenin, platycodigenin, polygalacic acid, 23-hydroxytormentic acid, glycyrrhetic acid together with minor triterpene acids, could be a potential candidate for antiinflammatory therapeutics.

The plant Ligularia fischeri var. spiciformis (Compositae) is a candidate for available functional foods. It has been used to treat diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis. We have reported the isolation of a new eremophilanolide named 6-oxoeremophilenolide and cytotoxic intermedeol together with the isolation of hydrophilic constituents, chlorogenic acid, 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acie (3), and 5-O-[1-butyl]-3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid. Compound 3 was again isolated by combination of silica gel- and ODS column chromatography for the anti-nociceptive action. Compound 3 and 4 were assayed in hot plate- and writhing tests in the rat. Although the three derivatives of caffeic acid exhibited significant anti-nociceptive effects at 10 mg/kg dose (i.p.),(activity potency: 4>3). These results suggest that compound 3 is responsible for at least rheumatoid arthritis, and caffeic acid moiety is the active moiety of dicaffeoylquinic acid.

The aerial part of Siegesbeckia pubescens (Compositae) has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension in the Oriental medicine. This crude drug has been used without process (SP-0) or with three times-process of steaming and drying (SP-3) or the nine times of that process (SP-9). To search for the antinociceptive anti-inflammatory components from this crude drug, activity-directed fractionation was performed on this crude drug. Since the CHCl3 extract was shown to have a more potent effect than other extracts, it was subjected to silica gel & ODS column chromatography to yield two diterpene compounds (1). Compound 1 was structurally identified as ent-16 (H, 17-hydroxykauran-19-oic acid, which were tentatively named siegeskaurolic acid A. A main diterpene, siegeskaurolic acid A was tested for the antiiflammatory antinociceptive effects using both hot plate- and writhing anti-nociceptive assays and carrageenan-induced anti-inflammatory assays in mice and rats. Pretreatment with siegeskaurolic acid A (20 and 30mg/kg) significantly reduced the stretching episodes, action time of mice and carrageenan-induced edema. These results support that siegeskaurolic acid is a main diterpene responsible for antinociceptive and antiiflammatory action of S. pubescens. In addition, the assays on SP-0, SP-3 and SP-9 produced the experimental results that SP-9 had more significant effects than other two crude drugs. These results suggest that the processing on the original plant may lead to the higher pharmacological effect.

Two dineolignans (1,2) with nitric oxide inhibitory activities were isolated from Saururus chinensis (Saururaceae) using silica gel column chromatography. Although the structures, saucernetin-7 (1) and -8 (2), have been already reported, NMR assignment of the two compounds was completed aided by 2D-NMR spectroscopy including 1H-1H COSY, 1H-13C COSY, HMBC and NOESY NMR spectra. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited significant nitride oxide inhibitory activity in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells with IC50 values of 11.3μM and 7.1μM, respectively.

우리나라 민간약으로서 신경통 및 류마치스의 치료에 널리 사용되고 있는 산복사나무(Prunus davidiana)의 잎으로부터 naringenin 및 그 배당체, kaempferol 및 그 배당체, kaempferide glueoside, quercetin glucoside 및 d-catechin을 단리하였다.