Arabis glabra is a localized common rhizomatous flowering plant, This plant is often used in Korean traditional systems of medicine as a remedy for blood cleaning, detoxification, abscess, gastrospasm, arthritis, contraction and diarrhea. Generally drugs that are used for arthritis have antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. However, validity of the anti-inflammatory activity has not been scientifically investigated so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of A. glabra using the ethanolic extract and its sub-fractions. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects, we examined the inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on RAW 264.7macrophages. Our results indicated that hexane and chloroform fraction significantly inhibited the LPSinduced NO and PGE2 production in the cells. The hexane fraction inhibitory activity for NO tests with IC50 values showed in 21.0 ㎍/㎖. The chloroform fraction inhibitory activity for PGE2 tests with IC50 values showed in 18.0 ㎍/㎖. These efficacy are expected to be able to present the potential for the development of health functional food for the prevention inflammatory diseases because it has sufficient preventive medical possibilities. Further, it is determined that it is necessary to further study the mechanism of cytokine and protein expression associated with inflammation.

This study was carried out to determine environmental factors affecting the anthocyanin content of colorfleshed potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers. After planting of two color-fleshed potato cultivars of ‘Hongyoung’ and ‘Jayoung’ in different 14 locations, their soil chemical properties and meteorological data were evaluated, and anthocyanin contents of tubers were analyzed after harvest, additionally their relationship among them was analyzed through correlation analysis. In comparison with two cultivars, purple-fleshed ‘Jayoung’ potatoes showed higher anthocyanin content than red-fleshed ‘Hongyoung’ in almost locations. When locations were divided to three categories (highland, sub-highland and lowland) according to altitude, in general, highland-grown tubers had the higher content of anthocyanin compared to those grown in lowland. An analysis of the results of chemical components of soil showed that anthocyanin content of color-fleshed potato tubers was negatively correlated with the pH of soil. In addition, mean temperature and minimum temperature from 80 to 100 days after planting most significantly affected on the accumulation of anthocyanin in color-fleshed potato tubers, that is, higher content of anthocyanin was observed in tubers produced in locations with lower mean temperature and minimum temperature from 80 to 100 days after planting. This information can be useful to producers and industries in selection of proper fields for the production of color-fleshed potato tubers having high quality in Korea.

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.