The results obtained showed that the anti-inflammatory activities of A. dahurica could be linked to imperatorin and phellopterin.

Acanthopanax koreanum is a popular plant found onJejuIsland, Korea and is commonly used to prevent the side effects of consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, this plant has not been properly utilized as a medicinal material. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of the 70% ethanol extract of A. koreanum roots (AKR-E). The results indicated that the AKR-E (200 µg/mL) inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) in RAW 264.7 macrophages by 41.2% and 78.9%, respectively. These effects were accompanied by concentration-dependent decreases in the expression levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins. Additionally, the AKR-E inhibitedthe expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6 (22.7%) and IL-1β (74%). These data showed that the AKR-E had protective effects against the induction of LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

No abstract

In this study, to evaluate the usefulness of Rhododendron weyrichii Maxim. as a whitening agent, the whitening effects of its extracts were investigated in alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (a-MSH)-induced B16F10 melanoma cells. No toxicity was noted in either B16F10 melanoma cells or HaCaT keratinocyte cells that were exposed to the hot water or 70% ethanol extracts of R. weyrichii Maxim. (RW-H and RW-E, respectively). Moreover, both the RW-H and RW-E extracts dose-dependently inhibited a-MSH-induced melanin production in B16F10 melanoma cells, with inhibitory effects of 52.5% and 51.6%, respectively, at a concentration of 200 µg/mL. The RW-H and RW-E extracts also inhibited intracellular tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent fashion. Western blot analyses showed that the RW-H and RW-E extracts decreased tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1, and tyrosinase-related protein-2 expression. Additionally, we found that ñ-coumaric acidcontaining RW-H and RW-E extracts could be used as hypopigmentation agents since they suppress melanogenesis. Collectively, our results suggest that RW-H and RW-E extracts have the potential to serve as functional cosmetic agents, including whitening agents.

No abstract