Corni Fructus (CF) is a fruit of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. and has been used as traditional oriental medicine. It has various functional qualities such as being antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihyperglycemic, and immunity-regulating. In the current study, CF was extracted from two conventional extract solvents (distilled water (DW) and 70% ethanol) with/without high-speed homogenization (HSH) treatments. The extract was characterized by measuring the total polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities. The HSH treatment significantly improved the total polyphenol content (from 28.4±0.9 mg/mL to 35.5±0.9 mg/mL), ABTS (from 59.8±0.4% to 78.4±2.7%), and DPPH radical scavenging activities (from 50.8±1.4% to 59.7±2.8%) of the DW extract and showed a level similar to that of 70% ethanol extract. The CF extracts were further used to prepare functional jelly with gelatin and other components such as pectin, fructooligosaccharide, and citric acid. The jelly’s hardness, springiness, gumminess, and cohesiveness were characterized using a texture profile analysis (TPA).

This study investigated the effects of pressurized steam-treated Corni Frutus (PSC) extract on osteoblast differentiation and osteoclast formation. The osteoblast differentiation effect of the extract was evaluated by measuring cellular alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, cell matrix ALP staining, alizarin Red S staining and von Kossa staining on proliferating MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells. The results confirmed that ALP activity, cell matrix ALP staining, alizarin Red S staining and von Kossa staining were all increased as proliferation increased from 1 to 14 days, without cytotoxicity. The osteoclast formation effect of the PSC extract was evaluated by measuring the cellular tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity and cell matrix TRAP staining on receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-induced RAW264.7 osteoclast cells. Treating RAW264.7 cells with RANKL for 7 days increased matrix staining for TRAP and cellular TRAP activity. The PSC extract decreased these changes in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, PSC is expected to be a natural source for developing health functional foods and medicinal agents to prevent bone-related diseases, such as osteoporosis, by increasing osteoblast differentiation and reducing osteoclast activity.

Corni Fructus extracts were investigated for antimicrobial and antioxidative activities. In the methanol, ethanol, water extracts from Corni Fructus, antimicrobial activity of the water extract was stronger than the others. Antimicrobial activities were strong against microorganisms such as Streptococcus mutans, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Escherichia coli O-157, the activity against Escherichia coli O-157 was the strongest of all the microorganisms. The growth of all the microorganisms were completely inhibited to 48 hours in the 150 per of culture media. the shape of E. coli O-157 treated with Corni Fructus water extract was expended and its cellular surface was collapsed severely. When Corni Fructus water extract of 200 was treated, hydrogen donating effect was more than 90%, and antioxidative activity using linoleic acid was similar to 0.1% BHT at the concentration of 50.