Traditionally, Ligustrum lucidum fruits (LL) is one of the well-known oriental herb used in the treatment of skin and lung inflammation. This study investigated anti-inflammatory effects of LL in the pathogenesis of acute pulmonary inflammation in mice. Acute pulmonary inflammation was induced by intratracheal instillation of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 5 times within 12 days in mice. LL extract was administered orally at a dose of 50 or 200 mg/kg. Administration of LPS and CSC significantly elevated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to mice, and increased in the levels of inflammatory cells and mediators in mice. However, the LL extract significantly reduced the elevated AHR, and the increase of neutrophils, CD4+/CD3+ cells and CD8+/CD3+ cells, along with reducing the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and MIP-2. Moreover, the LL extract alleviated the infiltration of inflammatory cells in expanded airway walls histologically. These results indicate that the LL extract has an inhibitory effects on acute pulmonary inflammation and AHR in murine model, and plays a crucial role as a immunomodulator which possess anti-inflammatory property.

The feature of asthma are airway inflammation (AI), reversible airway obstruction, and an increased sensitivity to bronchoconstricting agents, elevated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), excess production of Th2 cytokines, and eosinophil accumulation in the lungs. This study was performed to investigate if oral administration of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi water extracts (SBG) have the antiasthmatic potential for the treatment of asthma. Asthmatic HI and AHR were induced by systemic sensitization to ovalbumin (OVA) with intratracheal instillation with 0.1 mg/mL of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) suspension once a week for 10 weeks in BALB/c mice. SBG was orally administered with the concentraion of 200 mg/kg 5 days a week for 10 weeks. Long-term SBG treatment suppressed the eosinophil infiltration into airways from blood, the asthmatic AI and AHR by attenuating the production of cytokine IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, histamine and OVA-specific IgE. Our data suggest that SBG has inhibitory effects on AI and AHR in a mouse model of asthma, may act as a potential Th2 cytokine antagonist, and may have a therapeutic effect on allergic asthma.

This study was carried out to investigate the inhibitory effect of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (ADR) extract on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) induced by cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. COPD was induced by intratracheal instillation of LPS and CSC 5 times for 12 days; this increased airway hyperresoponsiveness (AHR) and inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). ADR extract was administered orally at a dose of 50 and 200 mg/kg. The concentration of imperatorin, a major component of ADR and therefore used as a measure of quality control, was 0.098%±0.018%. Treatment of the mice with ADR extract (50 and 200 mg/kg) alleviated AHR and reduced inflammatory cell counts. Treatment with cyclosporin A (CSA; 10 mg/kg) also modulated AHR and reduced inflammatory cells effectively. Compared with CSA treatment, treatment with ADR (50 mg/kg) extract reduced neutrophil and CD4+/CD3+ cell counts by 22.67% and 44.92%, respectively. In addition, compared with CSA treatment, treatment ADR 200 mg/kg reduced neutrophils, CD4+/CD3+ cells and CD8+/CD3+ cells, by 32.10%, 83.17% and 82.11%, respectively. These results indicate that ADR extract may have an inhibitory effect on COPD induced by LPS and CSC in mice.

This study was carried out to investigate whether Chrysanthermum zawadskii var. latilobum Kitamura (C. zawadskii) extracts has an inhibitory effect against the mutagenicity by cigarette smoke condensates (CSC). C. zawadskii was extracted with 70% ethanol and the yield was 18.5%. We further fractioned 70% ethanol extract sequentially to diethylether, chloroform, dichloromethane, and aqueous water, and gained the yield of 17.5%, 5.6%, 5.8%, 32.8% and 35.5%, respectively. In the Ames test, there was no mutagenic effect of crude extract and its solvent fractions up to 2 mg/plate toward Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 with or without S-9 mix metabolic activations. On the contrary, the crude extract showed an inhibitory activity against the mutagenicity of CSC in the presence of S-9 mix metabolic activation. Diethyl ether layer among five solvent fractions showed the highest inhibitory activity. The inhibitory activity of diethyl ether fraction was also increased in a dose-dependent manner and the inhibitory rate was about 97.7% at the concentration of 1 mg/plate. In this study, we conclude that crude extract of C. zawadskii itself is potentially safe for mutagenicity, and the diethyl ether fraction has an inhibitory effect against the mutagenicity of CSC.

This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial activities of organic extracts obtained from the fruit of Thuja orientalis L. The native fruits in Korea were collected and extracted by 80% ethanol, and the extract was sequentially fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, and butanol. The fraction yields of n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol and water of ethanol extract were 10.15%, 10.05%, 1.45%, 45.35% and 27.55%, respectively. n-Hexane-soluble fraction showed the highest antibacterial activity against gram positive bacteria, while the chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol and aqueous fractions did not show any antibacterial activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) on Staphyloycoccus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Sateptococcus pneumoniae, n-hexane-soluble fraction were 100 μg, 500 μg and 50 μg/disc, respectively. The antibacterial activity was not destroyed by heating at 80, 100, 120℃ for 30 min and was not affected by pH. In the inhibitory test against the Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Sateptococcus pneumoniae, n-hexane-soluble fraction showed potent growth inhibition at the concentration of 0.1 and 0.5 μg/mL for 12~24 hours and n-hexane-soluble fraction did not show any mutagenic activity.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of crude ginseng total saponins (CGS) against airway inflammation (AI) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AH) induced by diesel exhaust particles (DEP) in mice. AI and AH were induced by the intratracheal instillation with 0.1 mg/ml of DEP suspension once a week for 10 weeks combined with ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization. Mice were also treated orally with 75 mg/ml of CGS, 5 days a week for 10 weeks. Oral CGS treatment decreased in the level of serum immunoglobulin (IgE) and histamine increased by DEP and OVA, and declined respiratory resistance. It also dropped an enhanced infiltration of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice, and an increased T helper type 2 cell derived cytokine levels such as of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13 and IL-5 in the BALF. However, it did not influence T helper type 1 cytokine such as interferon-gamma in the BALF. These results indicate that CGS may alleviate allergen-related AI and AH in mice and may play an important role in the modulation of asthmatic inflammation.

홍삼의 물추출물을 장기간 흰쥐에 급여했을 때 흰쥐 간의 이물질대사효소 활성도 유도에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. 홍삼 물추출물의 급여농도는 25 mg/kg body weight이었으며, 간의 이물질대사효소 유도제는 항경련제 PB (80 mg/kg)와 발암제 3-MC (20 mg/kg)을 사용하였다. 간에서 이물질대사에 관여하는 cytochrome P-450의 함량, cytochrome P-450 dependent monooxygenase인 ECOD와 BPDM, cytochrome P-450 reductase와 GST의 활성도는 PB와 3-MC 투여에 의해서 대조군과 홍삼투여군 모두 크게 증가되었다. 흰쥐의 나이가 3개월에서는 두 유도제를 투여했을 때 이물질대사효소의 활성은 대조군이 인삼투여군에 비해 상대적으로 더 많이 유도되었다. 그러나 12개월에서는 두 시험군 모두 유도정도가 감소하였으나 홍삼투여군은 그 활성도 감소정도가 대조군에 비해 상대적으로 크지 않았다. 한편 두 그룹 모두 이물질대사 효소 중 cytochrome B5 함량과 cytochrome b5 reductase의 활성도는 PB와 3-MC 투여에 의해서 뚜렷한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 따라서 이러한 결과는 흰쥐에 홍삼의 장기간 급여는 간에서 효소유도제의 이물질대사효소유도 정도를 조절하여 무독화에 기여할 수 있다는 것을 의미한다.

The present study was designed to investigate aging-related effects on the activities of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes of rat liver by dietary supplementation of Korean red ginseng water-extract. Rat did not show any discernible signs of the rejection symptoms, and blood GOT and GPT levels were not influenced by ginseng water extracts, Cytochrome 450 levels and NADPH cytochrome P45O reductase, p-450 dependent ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase, and benzphetamine N-demethylase activities were decreased with aging, however, these phase I system enzymes activities in the ginseng group of24 months were well maintained compared with normal group. But, Levels of cytochrome bs and NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase activities were also decreased with aging and were not found a clear difference between two groups. Glutathione-s-transferase activity, phase II enzyme system, in liver cytosols was also decreased in old ages, but the degree of decrease was higher in normal group than in giuseng supplemented group. These results indicate that long-term supplementation of red ginseng water extracts from weaning to 24 months do not show any side effects to rats, and retard age-related deteriorations of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes activities in old ages.

한약재 향유의 정유성분, absolute 및 oleoresin을 추출분리 동정하고, 지질과산화 억제활성, 세포독성, 돌연변이 유발성 검정 및 거담효과 등의 생리활성을 측정하였다. 향유의 정유성분의 수율은 0.34%이었으며, naginate ketone이 29.37%와 elsholtizia ketone이 14.37%로 가장 많이 함유되어 있었다. 향유의 absolutes의 수율은 11.33%이었으며, methyl linolenate가 12.07%이었고, palmitic acid 10.46% 비율로 존재하고 있었다. 향유의 oleoresins의 수율은 15.24%이었으며, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid가 18.62%로 가장 높은 비율을 차지하고 있었다. 세 방법의 지질과산화 억제활성시험에서 향유의 정유성분과 oleoresins을 200 μg/ml의 농도로 처리했을 때 지질과산화를 잘 억제하였으나. absolutes는 같은 농도에서 거의 억제하지 못하였다. 향유의 정유성분과 oleoresins은 24시간에서 EC50값이 25 μg/ml이하로 고농도에서만 약간의 세포독성이 있으며, 향유의 absolues와 oleoresins은 고 농도에서도 돌연변이 유발성과 향균성이 나타나지 않았으나 정유성분은 500 μg/plate 이상 처리시 돌연변이 유발성 뿐만 아니라 항균성도 있는 것으로 나타났다. 향유의 정유성분과 oleoresins은 약간의 거담효과가 있는 것으로 판단된다.

예로부터 우리나라와 중국을 비롯한 동양에서는 음양곽을 강정제 및 정력강화제로 사용되어왔다. 본 연구는 흰쥐에게 장기간 음양곽 물 추출물을 공급하고(0.025%,w/v) 노화에 따른 생리적인 변화와 간의 이물질 대사 효소군의 활성도에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. 흰쥐에 음양곽의 물 추출물 공급으로 특이한 질병은 발견되지 않았으나 24개월에서 간과 신장의 무게는 대조군에 비해 다소 증가하였으며 혈청의 glutamate-oxaloacetate transminase와 glutamate-pyruvate transminase 활성도도 증가하였다 간의 이물질 대사효소 중 cytochrome P450 NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, benzphetamine N-demethylase ethoxycoumarine O-deethylase, glutathione S-transferase의 활성도는 두 그룹 모두 노화에 따라 감소하였으며, 음양곽 물 추출물 투여에 의해 감소현상이 악화되었다. 간의 cytochrome B5의 함량과 NADH cytochrome b5 reductase의 활성도도 노화에 따라 감소되었으나 같은 나이에서 두 그룹간의 뚜렷한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 이상의 결과로 보아 흰쥐에 장기간 음양곽 물 추출물을 공급은 노년기에 노화에 따라 감소하는 간의 이물질 대사 기능에 부담을 수도 있다는 것을 암시해 준다.