Zanthoxylum piperitum D.C. (ZP) peels has been used as a natural spice and herb medicine for hypertension reduction, for strokes, and for its anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activity. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms employed by ZP have yet to be completely understood. In this study, we elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of ZP in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. We evaluated the effects of ZP in LPS-induced levels of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and caspase-1 using ELISA. The expression levels of inflammatoryrelated genes, including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), were assayed by Western blot analysis. We elucidated the effect of ZP on nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation by means of a luciferase activity assay. The findings of this study demonstrated that ZP inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokine and PGE2 and inhibited the increased levels of COX-2 and iNOS caused by LPS. Additionally, we showed that the anti-inflammatory effect of ZP arises by suppressing the activation of NF-κB and caspase-1 in LPS- induced RAW264.7 cells. These results provide novel insights into the pharmacological actions of ZP as a potential candidate for development of new drugs to treat inflammatory diseases.

초임계추출(SFE)를 이용한 초피나무 과피 중 신미성분의 최적추출조건을 조사하였다. 최적 추출 압력은 300kg/cm2 이었으며 온도는 60℃, 추출 부피는 12 ml, flow rate는 3m/min 그리고 modifier로 사용한 methanol의 함량비율은 20%였다. 추출시간은 초반 20분 안에 대부분의 신미성분이 추출되었다. 또한 용매추출법과 비교한 결과 추출효능이 약 40%정도 향상되었고 시간은 20분으로 단축되었으며 유기용매 methanol은 12 ml밖에 소요되지 않을 뿐만 아니라 주요한 추출용매로 무독성 액화CO2를 사용하기에 독성 유기용매의 다량 사용을 피할 수 있는 친환경적이고 경제적인 방법으로 생각되어 진다.