An analysis of changes in herbal tea composition according to the difference in processing conditions showed slightly reduced crude protein content and increased, moisture, crude fat and solid elution rate after treatment using the ash puffing process compared to roasting. Benzopyrene content was significantly reduced to 0.18 ppb from 0.51 ppb. This result indicated that, the B(α)P content differed depending on the processing condition and raw materials. Generation of food B(α)P is mainly include the thermal decomposition of food cooking, when the processing which is a main component of food carbohydrate, protein, fat reason despite severe heat treatment as a whole is to be detected even though the B(α)P in this way is considered to be. The taste, aroma and color did not show a large difference, but the strong bitters taste decreased.

한방차의 roasting 온도를 80∼140℃ 범위로 하여 성분 변화를 분석한 결과, 온도의 상승에 따라 수분함량이 감소하고 일부 탄화가 발생하며 조 회분 함량이 소폭 상승하였고, 조 지방 및 조단백질 함량은 소폭 감소하였다. 한방차의 고형분 용출율은 0.15~0.32%(w/w)를 나타내었는데, roasting 온도가 상승할수록 감소하는 경향을 나타내었다. 처리온도가 80∼110℃구간에서는 큰 변화를 나타내지 않은 반면 110∼140℃구간에서는 고형분 용출율이 급격히 감소하였다. 온도가 상승할수록 용출율이 감소하는 것은 내부 조직이 치밀하여 상대적으로 용출이 어렵기 때문이다. 벤조피렌 함량은 0.29~0.51ppb으로 온도가 높을수록 B(α)P함량이 증가하였다. 처리온도와 원재료에 따라 B(α)P 함량에 차이가 발생하며, 내부온도는 약 200℃정도지만 roaster 표면의 실제 온도는 약 2000℃에 이르는데 표면과 접촉한 부분에서 B(α)P가 생성된다. B(α)P는 주로 음식을 조리, 가공할 때 식품의 주성분인 탄수화물, 단백질, 지방 등이 열분해 되어 생성되는 것으로 생각된다.

팽화 처리온도를 각각 140~220℃로 한 한방차 제품의 성분변화를 분석한 결과는 다음과 같다. 처리온도의 상승에 따라 일부 탄화가 발생하며 조회분 함량이 상대적으로 상승하는 소폭의 변화가 있었고, 조단백질 및 조지방 함량은 거의 변화가 없는 것으로 나타났으며 수분함량은 감소하였다. 한방차의 고형분 용출률은 0.18~0.27%(w/w)로 나타내었는데, 팽화온도가 상승할수록 증가하였다. 고형분의 용출은 온도가 화학적 변화보다 물리적 변화에 의해 식품의 원재료 성분인 탄수화물, 단백질, 지방 등이 천연 상태에서 상호가교 결합이 물리적인 힘으로 어느 정도 파괴되어 성분의 용출이 용이해지기 때문인 것으로 생각된다. 벤조피렌 함량은 0.18~0.24ppb로 처리온도, 원재료에 따라 B(α)P 함량에 차이가 발생한 것으로 나타났다.

In an attempt to find natural sources of antioxidants and whitening agents, comparisons of the antioxidative and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of various ethanol extracts of Cuscutae Semen, Rubi Fructus and Paeoniae Radix were carried out. Comparison of the three ethanol extracts revealed that, Paeoniae Radix had the highest electron-donating ability(79.3%),; however, Rubi Fructus had the highest SOD-like ability(31.1%). The xanthine oxidase experiment exhibited a hindrance effect of 74.3% in Cuscutae Semen, 80.4% in Rubi Fructus and 60.8% in Paeoniae Radix. A tyrosinase inhibitory activity assay was conducted to evaluate the whitening effects of the extracts, The tyrosinase inhibitory activity was 20.1% in the Cuscutae Semen, 54.2% in the Rubi Fructus, 56.3% in the Paeoniae Radix. Based on these results, we suggest that the ethanol extracts of Cuscutae Semen, Rubi Fructus and Paeoniae Radix can be used as food and cosmetic ingredients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of Paeoniae Radix Extract (PRE) against the acute hepatotoxicity-inducing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the liver. PRE of 100 mg/kg concentration was intraperitoneally administered into rats at dose of 1.5 ml/kg for 20 days. On day 21, 5 mg/kg of LPS dissolved in saline was injected 4 hours before anesthetization. We examined the levels of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum of rats, superoxide dismutase (SOD) in mitochondrial fractions, and malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in liver homogenates. LPS-treatment markedly increased the levels of GOT, GPT, LDH and MDA, and significantly decreased those of SOD, CAT and GPx. But PRE-pretreatment decreased the levels of GOT, GPT, LDH and MDA, by 59.7%, 43.6%, 59.6% and 63.5%, respectively and increased those of SOD, CAT and GPx, by 85.5%, 57.8% and 62.9%, respectively. These results showed that the PRE had the preventive effects against the acute hepatotoxicityinducing LPS in the liver .

Paeoniae Radix has been used as a traditional medicine for various diseases including hepatic disease. However, the inhibitory effect of Paeoniae Radix on intestinal inflammation has not been fully understood yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Paeoniae Radix on colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium in mice. To investigate the protective effects of Paeoniae Radix, the colitis mice were induced by drinking water containing 5% dextran sulfate sodium for 7 days. Mice were randomized into groups receiving Paeoniae Radix (100 ㎎/㎏), sulfasalazine (150 ㎎/㎏) as a positive control, or water as a negative control. We evaluated the effects of Paeoniae Radix on clinical signs induced by dextran sulfate sodium, measuring weight loss, colon length, and disease activity index. Additionally, to find a possible explanation for the anti-inflammatory effects of Paeoniae Radix, we evaluated the effects of Paeoniae Radix on the interleukin-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 levels in colitis tissue. The results indicated that mice treated with dextran sulfate sodium showed measurable clinical signs, including weight loss and reduced colon length. However, Paeoniae Radix treatment significantly improved the weight loss and disease activity index as clinical symptoms. Moreover, Paeoniae Radix inhibited the interleukin-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression levels in colon tissues treated with dextran sulfate sodium. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that Paeoniae Radix may be useful for treating intestinal inflammation, including ulcerative colitis.

Paeoniae Radix Rubra is a preparation consisting of desiccated roots of Paeonia lactiflora PALL (belonging to Ranunculaceae). Paeoniae Radix Rubra is used as a medicinal herb in Asian countries to treat many diseases. Ethanol- or water-based extracts of Paeoniae Radix Rubra were prepared and tested on RAW 264.7 cells, a murine macrophage cell line. The expression of some pro-inflammatory proteins, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and phosphorylated ERK1/2 was detected by Western blot analyses, while PGE2 expression was quantified by ELISA. Both the water and ethanol extracts of Paeoniae Radix Rubra suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and exhibited cell toxicity in accordance with increased NO production. Also, both extracts reduced the expression of COX-2 and iNOS, and inhibited phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Extracts prepared from Paeoniae Radix Rubra contain anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit the iNOS and MAPK pathways.

Paeoniae radix has been widely used for its anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and demonstrated to have anticonvulsant, memory enhancing and anxiolytic activities. The present study was performed to examine the protective effect of methanol extract of Paeoniae radix (PR) from Paeoniae Japonica Miyabe et Takeda (Paeoniaceae) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced neurotoxicity using cultured rat cerebral cortical neuron. H2O2 produced a concentration-dependent reduction of neuronal viability, PR, over a concentration range of 10 to 100 μg/ml showed concentration-dependent decrease of the H2O2(100 μM)-induced neuronal cell death, as assessed by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-di-phenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay and the number of apoptotic nuclei, evidenced by Hoechst 33342 staining. PR (100 μg/ml inhibited 100 μM H2O2-induced elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c), which was measured by a fluorescent dye, flue-4 AM. PR (50 μg/ml inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by 100 μM H2O2, which was measured by HPLC, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that PR may mitigate the H2O2-induced neurotoxiciy by interfering with the increase of [Ca2+]c, and then inhibiting glutamate release and generation of ROS in cultured neurons.

백작약 및 적작약의 주산지로 알려져 있는 경북 의성지역 외 5개 지역에서 1999년에 재배된 작약뿌리를 현지에서 수집하여, 산지별로 작약의 지표물질로 알려진 paeoniflorin, albiflorin 및 benzoic acid의 함량을 조사하였다. 그 결과, 국내산 작약의 재배 지역별 paeoniflorin 함량은 경상북도 의성 지역의 백작약 2.06%로 가장 높았다. 산지별로는 경기도 광주지역의 적작약 1.52%이었으며, 전라북도 임실 지역에

3년생 의성작약품종(faeornia lacrifora Pall.)을 1994년 2월에 수확하여 유피 및 거피상태로 처리한 후 상온음건법, 화력건조법, 증건법 및 냉동건조법으로 건조방법을 각각 달리하여 주 약용성분인 paeoniflorin함량 및 일반 화학성분을 조사한 결과는 다음과 같다. 1. 건물비율 50%까지의 건조일수는 거피상태 30℃ 화력건조가 동일온도의 유피상태보다 5일이 짧으며, 거피상태에서는 50℃ 화력건조법이 1.5일로 가장 빨랐고, 121℃ 증건법은 8일로 가장 늦었다. 2. 상온음건 및 화력건조법의 경우 paeoniflorin 함량은 거피상태가 더 높았고, 반대로 증건법은 유피상태가 더 높았다. 화력건조법의 경우 건조온도가 높아짐에 따라 paeoniflorin 함량은 감소하였다. 3. 건조방법 중 30℃ 화력건조가 Paeoniflorin함량이 4.0%로 가장 높고, 건조일수가 단축되며, 색택 이 양호한 가장 적절한 건조법 이었다. 4. 화력건조시 건조온도가 높아짐에 따라 총당의 함량은 감소하고 전분은 증가하는 경향을 보였으며, 또 전분함량은 121℃ 의 증건법을 제외한 모든 건조방법에서 거피상태보다 유피상태가 더 높았다. 5. 조단백질, 조섬유 및 조회분의 함량은 유피, 거피 및 건조방법에 따라 큰 차이가 없었다. 6. Paeoniflorin과 총당의 관계는 유피상태에서 정의 유의상관이, 그리고 paeoniflorin과 전분의 관계는 거피상태에서 부의 유의상관이 있었다.