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Sasa borealis (Poaceae) is a perennial medicinal plant which is a major source of bamboo leaves in Korea. The n-BuOH extract of S. borealis leaves exhibited significant antioxidant activity against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and a cytoprotective effect against oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. Bioactivity-guided fractionation by column chromatography led to the isolation of two antioxidative flavonoid C-glycoside derivatives, isoorientin (2) and isoorientin 2"-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside (4) along with tricin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and apigenin 6-C-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3). Their structures were identified on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic methods. The radical scavenging activity and cytoprotective effect against oxidative damage of all the isolated compounds were also evaluated. Isoorientin (2) and isoorientin 2-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside (4) showed potent free radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 9.5 and 34.5 microM, respectively, and strong cytoprotective effects against t-BOOH-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells, at very low concentrations of 1.1 microM isoorientin and 0.8 microM isoorientin 2-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside. This is the first report of the isolation and antioxidant activity of compounds 2 and 4 from S. borealis.

Because oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases and the aging process, antioxidants that can increase the intrinsic antioxidant potency are proposed as desirable therapeutic agents to counteract oxidative stress-related diseases. NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates important antioxidant and phase II detoxification genes, and therefore, the molecule that regulates nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and the induction of antioxidative proteins is thought to be a promising candidate as a cytoprotective agent for oxidative stress. In the present study, we show that isoorientin (luteolin 6-C-beta-D-glucoside) obtained from the leaves of Sasa borealis upregulates and activates Nrf2, and has protective ability against oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen intermediates in HepG2 cells. Isoorientin induces increase in the level of antioxidant enzyme proteins, especially NQO1, and the cytoprotective and antioxidative effects of isoorientin are PI3K/Akt pathway-dependent. Together with direct radical scavenging activity, the novel effect of isoorientin on the regulation of antioxidative gene expression provides attractive strategy to prevent diseases associated with oxidative stress and attenuate the progress of the diseases.

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The purpose of this study was to carry out systematic review of the literature and metaanalysis to evaluate the diagnostic utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the 42 amino acid form of amyloid-beta (Aβ 1-42) as a biomarker for differentiating Alzheimer's disease (AD) from non-AD dementia. Methods Design. Systematic literature review was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Aβ for the diagnosis of AD. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) tool was used to evaluate independently the quality of the studies. Data sources. The literature review covered from January 1, 2004, to October 22, 2013, and searched eight domestic databases including Korea Med and international databases including Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Data Extraction and Synthesis. Primary criteria for inclusion were valid studies on (i) patients with mild cognitive impairment with confirmed or suspected AD and non-AD dementia, and (ii) assessment of Aβ 1-42 levels using appropriate comparative tests. Results A total of 17 diagnostic evaluation studies were identified in which levels of CSF Aβ 1-42 were assessed. Meta-analysis was performed on 11 robust studies that compared confirmed AD (n = 2211) with healthy individuals (n = 1030), 10 studies that compared AD with non-AD dementias (n = 627), and 5 studies that compared amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 1133) with non-amnestic type subjects (n = 1276