털부처꽃(Lythrum salicaria L.)은 전국에 분포하는 다년생 초본식물로 척박하고 습한 지역을 포함한 다양한 환경에서 잘 자라는 것으로 알려져 있다. 따라서 하천변, 척박지에서 정원 용, 화훼용 및 관상용 식물로 이용이 가능하다. 본 연구는 털 부처꽃의 적정 육묘 조건(토양종류, 플러그 트레이 셀 크기,파종립수, 액비농도 및 차광)을 조사하였다. 대조구(원예상토) 에서 재배된 유묘의 생육이 가장 우수하였다. 반면 피트모스 와 펄라이트의 혼합용토는 육묘기간이 지속되면서 생육수치 가 감소하는 경향을 나타냈다. 셀 크기는 용적이 가장 큰 162 셀에서 재배된 유묘의 생육이 우수하였으나, 200셀과 288셀에 서 자란 묘도 건강했다. 한편 유묘의 결주발생을 고려하면 셀 당 2립을 파종하는 것이 적합하였다. 액비 처리는 유묘의 생 육을 촉진하였다. 특히 Hyponex 1000배는 초장, 줄기직경, 엽수, 마디수, 근장, 지상부 생체중 및 지하부 생체중을 증가 시켰다. 또한 유묘의 생육은 55% 차광 하에서 우수하였다. 따 라서 털부처꽃의 가장 효과적인 생육조건은 원예상토가 충진 된 288셀 플러그 트레이에 셀 당 2립을 파종하고 Hyponex 1000배를 시비하면서 55% 차광 하에서 재배하는 것이었다.

Background : Lythrum salicaria L. (LS), a herb that is found all around the world, has long been used as medicinal plant to treat inflammation, external wound bleeding, and diarrhea, while its sprouts (young leaves) can be utilized as a food material. The antioxidant and hepato-protective activities of LS have been reported in several articles. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy and cell proliferation of LS leaves according to their growth period, and to obtain information on the optimal harvesting time of LS as a food resource. Methods and results : LS leaves were collected at ten-day intervals between April 27 and June 26, 2016 in Eumseong-gun, South Korea. The LS leaves were extracted with 50% ethanol at room temperature, and seven LS extracts (LSE) were obtained. A peroxynitrite (ONOO-) scavenging assay and a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay were performed to compare the antioxidant effects of LSE, while a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed on the BV-2 cell lines to determine cell viability. The total phenol contents of LSE were quantified by using the calibration curve of tannic acid. From these assays, LSE harvested on April 27 showed the lowest value, while LSE harvested on June 6 showed the highest DPPH scavenging activity at 10 ㎍/㎖. There was no difference among the extracts in terms of their peroxynitrite scavenging activity. The extract prepared on April 27 showed the highest value in terms of BV2 cell viability, while that obtained on June 6 showed the lowest value. The value in terms of the total phenol content of the LSE harvested on June 6 was the highest, whereas that of the LSE harvested on April 27 was the lowest. Conclusion : When comparing the activity of LSE according to its harvesting time, the extract dated June 6 showed the highest effect in terms of its antioxidant activity and its total phenol content, whereas the extract dated April 27 showed the highest cell viability. As such, this study suggests that LS leaves harvested in the early season could be utilized as a food material even though they display low efficacy.

This experiment was conducted to verify whether one time feeding of Lythrum salicaria root crude extract (LSR extract) exhibits liver protecting activities in acutely ethanol administrated rat. Experiment groups were composed of normal, negative control (alcohol control), 2 positive control (Hovenia dulcis extract 900 mg/kg and milk thisle 100 mg/kg), betulinic acid (20 mg/kg), a compound separated from LSR, and 3 LSR (100, 300, 900 mg/kg) groups. LSR treated groups showed decrease (p < 0.05) in serum triglyceride by dose-dependent manner. The content of serum albumin and the activity of ADH and ALDH in LSR extract fed rats were increased (p < 0.05) dependently on the administration amounts. Our study indicated that one time supplement of LSR downregulates oxidative stress and shows liver protective activity in the acute alcohol-fed rats.

The study was done to investigate the effects of the extracts from the different parts of Lythrum salicaria (LS) on liver protective activities in chronically alcohol-treated rats. SD male rats except normal animals were administrated with alcohol (30ml of 30%~40% ethanol/kg/day) and the extracts (300 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. Chronic alcohol administration decreased body weight, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and the reduced form-glutathione (GSH), whereas increased the ethanol content, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)- cholesterol, triglyceride in blood/serum and the ratio of the oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG) and total GSH (GSSG/total GSH) in liver tissue. Groups treated with the extracts of leaf, root and stem, showed decrease in GOT, total cholesterol and GSSG/total GSH and increase in hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), total GSH and serum albumin. Administration with the root extract of LS decreased blood ethanol content compared with the other part extracts. But, serum triglyceride values in rats treated with root and stem extract were higher than that of the negative control animals. Flower extract-fed group showed decrease in body weight and serum triglyceride, but increase in the ratio of GOT and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and GSSG/total GSH. From the results, we conclude that the extracts of root and leaf among the plant parts of LS might be useful for the amelioration of the chronic alcohol-induced liver demage of rat.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Lythrum salicaria L. ethanol extract on anti-obesity effects in rat fed a high fat diet for 8 weeks to induce obese rat model. Male SD rats were divided into normal group, control (high fat diet) group, positive control (Garcinia Cambogia extracts) group, high fat group supplemented with ethanol extracts of Lythrum salicaria L. (EELS). The body weight gain and control (high fat diet) were increased by a high fat diet, but decreased in the EELS. At the end of the experiment, the body weight in high fat diet groups was higher than that of normal diet group, while the body weights of EELS and positive control group were significantly reduced by 16.62%, as compared with that of high fat diet group (p < 0.05). The levels of serum triglyceride, total cholesterol in EELS group were significantly decreased as compared with high fat diet group (p < 0.05). The liver and mesenteric adipose tissue weights of control (high fat diet) increase than that for normal group, whereas EELS and positive control group were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Levels of triglyceride in liver were significantly lower in EELS group than those in high fat diet group (p < 0.05). These results indicate that Lythrum salicaria L. extract may improve lipid metabolism and reduce fat accumulation and body weight.

In this study, the bioactivities of ethanol (EELS) and water extract (WELS) from the leaf of Lythrum salicaria L. were investigated. In the anti-cancer activity, the growths of both human prostate cancer (DU145) and human colonic carcinoma cell (HT29) were inhibited up 60% by adding 10 mg/ml of EELS. Anti-inflammatory activity of EELS and WELS have been evaluated on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced release of nitric oxide (NO) by the macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. EELS and WELS inhibited inflammatory by 57.3 and 46.9% in 10 mg/ml, respectively. In the anti-oxidative activity, IC50 of DPPH radical scavenging activity was respectively 60.71 and 92.90 μg/ml by EELS and WELS. In the anti-diabetic activity, IC50 of α-amylase inhibitory activity of EELS and WELS were respectively 5,250 and 5,020 μg/ml. IC50 of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was 7.96 and 68.41 μg/ml by EELS and WELS. In the anti-obesity, IC50 of lipase inhibitory activity was 880 and 9,840 μg/ml by EELS and WELS. Finally, EELS and WELS exhibited anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic activity and anti-obesity. It suggests that Lythrum salicaria L. could be potentially used as a resource of bioactive materials for health functional foods.

Root extract of Lythrum salicaria reported a hepato-protective effect on CCl4-induced liver toxicity of rat was prepared into fractions such as n-hexane up layer (HA), n-hexane down layer (HB), diethyl ether (E), ethylacetate (EA), n-butanol (B) and water (W). Fractions prepared were tested their activities in vitro and in vivo condition. All of the fractions showed effective antioxidant asctivities on DPPH radical and CuSO4-induced oxidation of human low density lipoprotein and E fraction showed the highest inhibitory effect (98.1% at 50 μg/ml) on linoleic acid autoxidation at 40℃, which was more effective than α-tocopherol (82.4%). Five fractions (H = HA plus HB, E, EA, B, and W, 150 mg/kg/day) were fed into Sprague Dawley, male rats for 4 days, which were intoxicated with intra-peritoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (1 ml/kg in corn oil) at the 4th day and were sacrificed in 24 hrs. Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a proinflammatory cytokine, elevated with CCl4-intoxication in negative control group (83 pg/ml) was significantly decreased in E fraction-supplemented group (18 pg/ml). Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased in negative control group (0.12 U/mg protein) was decreased in E fraction (0.07 U/mg protein). From the results, it is suggested that ether fraction from root extract of L. salicaria would be a potent antioxidant candidate for ameliorating liver injury induced by chemical intoxicant.

For the investigation of possibility as a useful functional material, different parts of Lythrum salicaria L. harvested at four growth stages were studied in the aspect of bleeding characteristics, chemical composition and in vitro activity. Weights (g/plant) of L. salicaria plant parts were high in order to stem 〉 leaf 〉 flower 〉 root at the best growth time. Crude lipids (3.59~4.30%) and crude proteins (14.7~23.5%) of L. salicaria leaves were the highest among the other plant parts showed from 0.08~3.54%, and 4.0~21.9%, respectively. Free sugars (2.9~4.2%) and crude ash (11.9~14.8) of leaves also showed the highest value. Free radical scavenging activities of L. salicaria root on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl showed from 43.5 μg/ml to 47.6 μg/ml as IC50 which were followed by those of flower, leaf, and stem. Root of L. salicaria tested at 100 μg/ml also showed the most efficient inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Cell viability of the plant parts tested by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay was high in order to flower, leaf, root, and stem. Total phenol content measured as tannic acid equivalent showed the highest value in flower. In conclusion, among the plant parts, especially leaf of L. salicaria, was rich in the chemical components, and showed efficient antioxidant/inhibitory activity on free radical and NO production, and was expected to be a functional material candidate.

Several parts of Lythrum salicaria were used for this study. Scavenging activities on radicals, inhibitory activity on linoleic acid peroxidation and total phenol contents of extracts from root, flower, and aerial part were evaluated. Flower and root selected from in vitro assay were subjected to in vivo assay on CCL4-induced liver injury rat model for two weeks. Carbon tetrachloride intoxication on rats produced large amounts of hepatic lipid peroxidation product, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) compared with normal rats. Treatment with root extract of L. salicaria (LSR) showed effective inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation product. Administration with LSR extract significantly alleviated CCL4-induced increase in GPT activity which were more effective than silymarin. The results of this study suggest that root and flower of L. salicaria have antioxidant and liver protecting activities, and root part is the most effective candidate to develop a new functional material.