본 연구는 에탄올과 염산으로 유도된 위염모델에 대해 익모초의 물 추출물이 위염예방효과를 나타내는지 알아보기 위해 진행하였고, 안전성 평가를 위해 유전독성평가인 소핵시험을 수행하였다. 익모초 물 추출물은 음성대조군 대비 위에서 분비되는 PGE2의 농도를 증가시켰을 뿐만 아니라 염산과 에탄올 투여에 의한 점막 표피세포 및 선상피세포의 손상과 울혈을 충분히 예방하는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 익모초 물 추출물에 대한 소핵시험을 실시한 결과, 익모초 물 추출물은 소핵을 유발하지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 결과를 종합하였을 때 익모초 물 추출물은 자체적으로 위염 예방효과를 나타냈지만 정확히 어떤 기전을 통해 예방하는지 추가적인 실험이 필요하다고 사료되며, 익모초에 포함된 여러 단일 성분을 이용해 위염 예방평가를 실시하여, 위염에 대한 익모초의 효능과 효율을 높이는 연구가 필요하다고 생각된다.

Background: Leonurine is a the aerial part of Leonurus japonicus Houttuyn, which has been used as a traditional medicines and is registered in the Korean Pharmacopoeia.Methods and Results:In the present study we performed a heavy metals and thin layer chromatography and measured loss on drying, as well as the contents of total ash, acid-insoluble ash, ethanol soluble compounds, and leonurine, using 15 domestically collected L. japonicus samples. The methods were performed according to the ‘crude drugs test of the general test, processes and apparatus’, published by MFDS, Korea (2014). The purity test (heavy metals) indicated that levels of Pb and Hg were 0.35 - 3.64, and 0.001 ppm, respectively, whereas the levels of As and Cd were undetectable, and stachydrine was identified by thin layer chromatography (Rf : 0.15). We found that 5.93 - 10.62% (average: 8.58 ± 1.8%) of the sample mass was lost during drying, and the contents of total ash, acid-insoluble ash, ethanol soluble compounds, and leonurine were 7.87 - 10.84% (average: 9.62 ± 0.82%), 0.99 - 1.76% (average: 1.38 ± 0.24%), 16.70 - 23.11% (average: 19.49 ± 2.14%) and 0.04 - 0.17% (average: 0.11 ± 0.04%) respectively. In addition, HPLC profiling detected leonurine (5.94 min), rutin (16.43 min) and myricetin (26.78 min).Conclusions:We hope that this the rusult of the present study will contribute to the standardization and quality control of Korean herbal medicines.