Method development and validation of decursin for the standardization of Angelica gigas Nakai as a functional ingredient and health food were accomplished. The quantitative determination method of decursin as a marker compound of aerial parts of Angelica gigas Nakai extract (AAGE) was optimized by HPLC analysis using a C18 column (3×150 mm, 3 μm) with 0.1% TFA in water and acetonitrile as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/ min and detection wavelength of 330 nm. The HPLC/PDA method was applied successfully to quantification of the marker compound in AAGE after validation of the method with linearity, accuracy, and precision. The method showed high linearity in the calibration curve at a coefficient of correlation (R2) of 0.9994 and the limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.011 μg/mL and 0.033 μg/mL, respectively. Relative standard deviation (RSD) values of data from intra- and inter-day precision were less than 1.10% and 1.13%, respectively. Recovery of decursin at 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 μg/mL were 92.38 ~ 104.11%. These results suggest that the developed HPLC method is very useful for the determination of marker compound in AAGE to develop a health functional material.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that deprives the patient of memory, is associated mainly with extracellular senile plaque induced by the accumulation of amyloid β protein (Aβ). Silybum marianum (Asteraceae; SM) is a medicinal plant that has long been used in traditional medicine as a hepatoprotective remedy owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The present study examined the methanol extract of the aerial parts of SM for neuroprotection against Aβ (25-35)-induced neuronal death in cultured rat cortical neurons to investigate a possible therapeutic role of SM in AD. The primary cortical neuron cultures were prepared using embryonic day 15 to 16 SD rat fetuses. Cultured cortical neurons exposed to 10 μM Aβ (25-35) for 36 h underwent neuronal cell death. At 10 and 50 μg/mL, SM prevented Aβ (25-35)-induced neuronal cell death and apoptosis in cultured cortical neurons. Furthermore, SM inhibited the Aβ (25-35)-induced decrease in anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, and the increase in the proapoptotic proteins, Bax and active caspase-3. Cultured cortical neurons exposed to 1 mM N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) for 14 h induced neuronal cell death. SM (10 and 50 μg/mL) prevented NMDA-induced neuronal cell death. These results suggest that SM inhibited Aβ (25-35)-induced neuronal apoptotic death via inhibition of NMDA receptor activation and that SM has a possible therapeutic role in preventing the progression of neurodegeneration in AD.

본 연구에서는 당근 지상부 추출물 및 용매 분획물의 항염, 항균 활성을 확인하고 유효성분을 분리하여 화학구조를 동정하였다. 당근 지상부 에탄올 추출물 및 용매 분획물의 항염 활성을 측정하기 위해 LPS로 자극된 RAW 264.7 세포를 이용하여 NO 생성 억제 활성을 확인하였다. 그 중 에틸아세테이트 분획물이 NO의 생성을 농도 의존적으로 감소시키는 효과가 나타났고, 추가적인 항염 기전 연구를 위해 에틸아세테이트 분획물에 대해 PGE2, 전염증성 사이토카인의 생성량 및 iNOS, COX-2 단백질의 발현량을 측정하였다. 그 결과, 에틸아세테이트 분획물이 PGE2, IL-1β, IL-6의 생성을 감소시키고, iNOS, COX-2 단백질의 발현도 억제 시키는 효과가 있음을 확인하였다. 또한 표피포도상구균과 여드름균을 이용한 활성 실험 결과, 헥산 및 에틸아세테이트 분획물에서 항균 활성이 나타났다. 이와 같은 결과를 바탕으로 에틸아세테이트 분획물에 대해 컬럼 크로마토그래피를 수행하여 3개의 화합물을 분리하였으며, 1H 및 13C NMR 데이터 분석과 문헌을 통하여 화학구조를 동정하였다; diosmetin (1), disomin (2), cynaroside (3). 분리된 화합물 1-3에 대해 항염 및 항균 활성을 측정하였으며, 그 결과 화합물 1-3 모두 NO의 생성을 저해시키는 효과가 있음을 확인하였다. 또한 화합물 3은 여드름균에 대해 항균 활성이 우수하였다. 이상의 연구 결과를 바탕으로 당근 지상부 추출물을 이용한 항염 및 항균 효과를 갖는 천연 화장품 소재로의 개발이 가능할 것이라 사료된다.

Background: Previous phytochemical studies of whole Vernonia cinerea L. plants have identified sesquiterpene lactones, sterols, and triterpenes, which possess anticancer, antifeedant, and antimalarial activities. However, there are no reports of other types of bioactive metabolites. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify phenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory activity in the aerial parts of the plant.Methods and Results:Compounds were isolated from the aerial parts of V. cinerea using a silica and C-18 gel columns and semipreparative HPLC instrument, and the structures of the compounds were determined using one- and two- dimension nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy. The chloroform soluble extracts and isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory potential based on their ability to inhibit nitric oxide production and TNF-α induced NF-κB activity.Conclusions:Phytochemical study of the aerial parts of V. cinerea led to the isolation of six phenolic compounds. Compound 1 was a major metabolite, and to the best of our knowledge, compounds 2 - 6 were isolated from V.cinerea for the first time. Among the isolates, compounds 1 and 3 exhibited TNF-α-induced NF-κB activity with IC50 values of 7.5 and 11.5 M, respectively, and the inhibitory activity of phenyl propanoid compound 3 on TNF-α-induced NF-κB was evaluated for the first time.

Background : Aerial parts of Angelica gigas were studied in order to develop as functional pigment. The extracts were evaluated for physicochemical properties and biological activity. Methods and Results : Aerial parts of Angelica gigas were extracted by the rate of ethanol and distilled water. The extracts were evaluated for physicochemical properties by chromaticity, total sugar content, free sugar content, acidity, chlorophyll and carotenoids contents. Total sugar and acidity were 0.90 brix and 2.84% respectively. Chlorophyll and carotenoids contents were 0.24 and 0.04% respectively. The extracts were evaluated for biological activity by anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetes activity. Cell viabilities were measured by MTT assay. Effect of extracts on nitric oxide (NO) production from RAW264.7 cells was accessed by Griess reagent assay. Extracts to RAW 264.7 cells reduced amounts of nitrite by 76.0%. Conclusion : These results suggest that aerial parts of Angelica gigas Nakai may be useful pigment for anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetes activity.

This study was performed to identify the effect of mixed bed soil on growth of aerial parts and root zone of daughter plants for nursery field strawberry seedling raising with expanded chaff. The plant height and leaf area of daughter plants were highest or largest in the mixed soil of ERH +RH (100:0, v/v), followed by ERH+RH (75:25). The higher the mixing ratio of RH, the shorter the plant height or the smaller the leaf area. A similar tendency was observed in fresh weight. Within a root diameter of 0-0.4 mm and a root height range of 0.4-0.8 mm, root surface area and volume were statistically significantly better with treatment of ERH+RH (100:0, v/v) compared to those of roots treated with ERH+RH (75:25), ERH+RH (50:50) and ERH+RH (25:75). The growth rate of aerial parts and root zone of daughter plants were noticeably lower in two mixing ratios of 50:50 and 25:75. According to the mixing ratios of ERH+CD surface treatment, the number of roots was greatest in plants treated with ERH+CD (80:20, v/v) and ERH+CD (85:15) on August 1. However, the number of roots was highest in plants treated with ERH+CD (85:15, v/v) on August 15. Root length was longest in the plant with no treatment, and drastically shortened from ERH+CD (90:10, v/v) in both surface and mixed treatment. Although root weight showed a significant difference in ERH+CD (90:10, v/v) treatment, its increase was gradual. The rate of root growth was highest in ERH+CD (85:15). These study findings suggest that the content ratios of mixed soil ERH+RH (75:25, v/v) or below and ERH+CD (85:15) are thought to be desirable for the production of high quality seedlings.

In traditional Korean and Chinese medicine, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) for the treatment of centralnervous system-related symptoms such as tremor, seizure, stroke and epilepsy. We investigated the effects of safflower couldinfluence cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal and cognitive impairments. Administration of safflower for 1 day(200㎎/㎏ body weight, p.o.) increased the survival of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons after transient global brainischemia. And neurological functions measured as short term memory. Post-treatment with safflower for 2 times decreasedthe induction/reduction - induced production of neuronal cell loss from global cerebral ischemia. Safflower markedlydecreased neuronal cell death and also caused a decrease in the content of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances(TBARS) (55.2±9.4µmol mg-¹) and significant improvement of activities of glutathione (GSH) (27.2±5.0µmol mg-¹) inhippocampus. We conclude that treatment with safflower attenuated learning and memory deficits, and neuronal cell lossinduced by global cerebral ischemia. These results suggest that safflower may be a potential candidate for the treatment ofvascular dementia.

In order to obtain basic data for utilization of the aerial parts of Cnidium officinale Makino (APCO), the antioxidant properties of the aerial parts and rhizomes of C. officinale were measured using DPPH and ABTS radicals, and nitrite scavenging assays. The ethyl acetate (EA) fraction prepared from the aerial parts of APCO showed the strongest antioxidant activities, and contained high level of total phenolic compounds (325.81 mgTE/g) and flavonoids (259.16 mgRE/g). The concentrations for 50% reductions (RC50) values of the DPPH and ABTS radicals, and nitrite by the EA fraction of APCO were 11.27 μg/ml, 14.34 μg/ml, and 10.26 μg/ml, respectively. APCO exhibited approximately 3-9 times higher antioxidant activity than rhizomes of C. officinale. The antioxidant capacities of APCO were positively correlated with its total phenolic contents. Therefore, it was concluded that the aerial parts of C. officinale can be a useful and cost-effective source of natural antioxidant for food or cosmetics.

In order to verify the efficacy of Lespedeza cuneata G. Don which have been used as a folk traditional herb medicine from ancient times, the test of antioxidant activity and the analysis of constituents were carried out. Methanol extracts from L. cuneata G. Don showed a radical scavenging activity corresponding to that of (+)-catechin as positive control at 250 ~mug /mL (ca 90% inhibition), and inhibited more than 30% of DPPH radical at low concentration of 10~mug /mL. In the present study, as a fundamental study for the specification of antioxidant components from L. cuneata G. Don, the analysis for constituents for L. cuneata with HPLC was preformed although there was no results to identify functional flavonoids such as quercetin.

8종의 식용 및 약용 양치식물에서 80% 에탄올을 이용하여 부위별 추출물을 조제한 후 각각의 생리활성물질 및 항산화활성을 조사하였다. 총 폴리페놀 함량은 쇠고비의 근경에서 57.32mg·g-1로 가장 높았고, 그 다음은 쇠고비의 뿌리〉석위 지상부〉야산고비 지상부의 순으로 나타났다. 총 플라보노이드 함량은 야산고비의 지상부에서 27.51mg·g-1로 가장 높았고 야산고비 근경에서 1.95mg·g-1로 가장 낮았다. DPPH 및 ABTS 라디칼 소거능은 쇠고비의 뿌리 및 근경 추출물에서 가장 높게 조사되었다. 부처손 지하부와 고비 지상부를 제외한 모든 추출물에서 linoleic acid의 산화를 87% 이상 강하게 억제할 수 있는 것으로 확인되었다.