본 연구는 t-butyl hydroperoxide(t-BHP)의 산화적 손상에 대한 원지(Polygalae Radix, PR)추출물의 항산화 효과를 알아보기 위하여 배양 C6 glioma 세포를 재료로 세포생존율을 비롯하여 superoxide dismutase(SOD) 유사 활성을 비롯하여 lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) 활성을 조사하였다. 본 실험에서 t-BHP는 농도 의존적으로 배양 C6 glioma 세포의 생존율을 유의하게 감소시켰다. 한편, t-BHP의 세포독성에 대한 원지 추출물의 항산화 효과의 정량분석에 있어서 원지 추출물은 t-BHP의 산화적 손상으로 감소된 세포생존율의 유의한 증가를 비롯하여 LDH 활성감소 및 SOD 유사 활성을 보임으로서 항산화 효과를 나타냈다.

Polygalae Radix (PR) from Polygala tenuifolia. (Polygalaceae) is traditionally used in China and Korea, since this herb has a sedative, antiinflammatory, and antibacterial agent. To extend pharmacological actions of PR in the CNS on the basis of its CNS inhibitory effect, the present study examined whether PR has the neuroprotective action against kainic acid (KA) -induced cell death in primarily cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons. PR, over a concentration range of 0.05 to 5μg/ml inhibited KA (500 μM)-induced neuronal cell death, which was measured by a trypan blue exclusion test and a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-y1]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. PR (0.5μg/ml) inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by KA (500 μM), which was measured by HPLC. Pretreatment of PR (0.5μg/ml) inhibited KA (500 μM)-induced elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c) which was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fura 2-AM, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that PR prevents KA-induced neuronal cell damage in vitro.