This study was to demonstrate the comparison of immunological activity between vegetable soup made by fresh and extruded radish in in-vitro (bone marrow-derived macrophages and dendritic cells, and mouse splenocytes) and invivo models. In cell survival tests, extruded radish added to vegetable soup (EVS) and non-extruded radish added to vegetable soup powder (NEVS) were treated with bone-marrow derived macrophages, dendritic cells, and mouse splenocytes, and showed no cytotoxic effect at a dose below 1000 μg/mL. EVS treated cells had greater cell proliferation and cytokine [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-2, interferon (INF)-γ] production when compared to the NEVS treated group. Cell surface marker (CD 80/86, MHC class I/II) expression in bone marrow-derived macrophages and dendritic cells was evenly increased in the EVS treated group. In in-vivo study, administration of EVS increased for the CD4 and CD8 T cell population in splenocyte and cytokine production (IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α) but not Th2 type cytokines (IL-4). Therefore, adding the extruded radish is a more effective method for vegetable soup to increase immunological activity against immune cells.

Epimedium koreanum Nakai is a wild medicinal plant commonly consumed in South Korea due to its beneficial health effects. In this study, the antimutagenic and immunological activities of E. koreanum Nakai extracts were investigated for their use in food. In the immunomodulating activity, the effects of E. koreanum Nakai on the B cell (Rhamos) and T cell (Molt-4) were investigated. The results showed that the growth and viability of the B and T cells were increased and activated more in the ethylacetate (1.35 and 1.48 times) and water fraction (1.30 and 1.40 times), respectively. In the Ames test, none of the fractions produced a mutagenic effect on Salmonella. typhimurium TA98 and TA 100. The ethylacetate fraction showed a strong antimutagenic effect (98%) on and a high butanol fraction (84%) of B(α)P in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. In 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), all the solvent fractions showed an over 70% antimutagenic effect, except for the chloroform extract. Especially, ethylacetate and butanol showed strong inhibition of the mutagenic effects (80 and 90%) on 4NQO in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. These results provide preliminary data for the development of E. koreanum Nakai as an edible food material.