No abstract

In this study, the antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of aqueous methanolic (70% methanol) extract from the roots of Anemarrhena asphodeloides were investigated. The extracts of four solvent fractions (the n-hexane layer, EtOAc layer, n-BuOH layer, and H2O layer) of the 70% methanol extract were also investigated. Furthermore, the total phenolic content was quantified using a spectrophotometric method. All the tested samples showed dose-dependent radical scavenging and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. In particular, the pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of the ethyl acetate soluble portion (the EtOAc layer) from the rhizomes of the A. asphodeloides was higher than that of the other solvent-soluble portions. The antioxidant property of the extracts was evaluated using radical scavenging assays with DPPH and ABTS+ radicals. 1000 mg/ml of the n-BuOH layer extract showed 91.2% DPPH radical scavenging activity. The EtOAc layer extract and the n-BuOH layer extract showed IC50 = 20.5±1.7 mg/ml and IC50 = 50.5±0.7 mg/ml ABTS+ radical scavenging activities, respectively. The anti-obesity efficacy of the A. asphodeloides extract was tested via porcine pancreatic lipase assay. A pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity (IC50) of 31.3±0.1 mg/ml was obtained from the EtOAc layer extract. These results suggest that A. asphodeloides can be considered a new potential source of natural antioxidant and anti-obesity agents.

In this study, Ledum palustre L. was extracted by 4 different methods (LPW, hot water extraction; LPA, autoclave extraction; LPU, ultrasonification extraction; LPE, 70% ethanol extraction) and LPE was fractionated by using polarity difference of each solvent and used as 4 samples (LPE/H, the n-hexane layer; LPE/E, the EtOAc layer; LPE/B, the n-BuOH layer; LPE/W, the H2O layer). Antioxidant activities of Ledum palustre L. extracts were measured by DPPH and ABTS. As a result, the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging showed high activities with LPE (82.3%, 99.8%) and LPE/E (91.8%, 99.6%) at the concentration of 1,000 μg/mL. The anti-inflammatory activities of LPE and LPE/E were measured by the inhibitory activity against NO, PGE2, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 production on LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 macrophages. As a result of MTT assay, cell viabilities of LPE and LPE/E were more than 90% at 25 μg/mL. NO and PGE2 productions were inhibited by LPE (NO: 50%, PGE2: 70%) and LPE/E (NO: 57%, PGE2: 73%) at the concentration of 25 μg/mL. The inhibition activities against TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 production were 24%, 47% and 40% at the concentration of 25 μg/mL of LPE. In particular, LPE/E showed 51%, 57% and 62% inhibition activities at the same concentration, respectively. From the above results, it can be concluded that 1,000 μg/mL of LPE and LPE/E have the high antioxidant activities similar with Vitamin C, and 25 μg/mL, the low concetration of LPE and LPE/E have excellent anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, if more research about anti-aging, whitening and antimicrobial activity of Ledum palustre L. extracts is carried out in the future, it will be possible to use them as effective materials for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases and in the areas of functional foods and cosmetics.

The antioxidant, whitening, and anti-wrinkle activity of Spirodela polyrhiza extracts and fractions were evaluated to determine its efficacy as a functional cosmetic material. 1,1diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging activities were 44.2 and 74.3%, respectively, at 100 µg/mL of SE-E (the ethyl acetate fraction of 70% ethanol extract). To measure anti-wrinkle effects, procollagen biosynthesis and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) inhibition activity were determined. At 25 µg/mL of SE (70% ethanol extract), the biosynthesis activity was 48.5%, and SE-E showed the best activity (57.8%) at the same concentration. MMP-1 inhibition activity of SE and SE-E was 13.4 and 28.5%, respectively, at 25 ìg/mL. Finally, the inhibition of cellular melanin synthesis and cellular tyrosinase were measured to determine the whitening effect; at 25 µg/mL, the inhibition activities of SE were 9.6 and 13.8%, respectively, and those for SE-E were 15.4 and 22.0%, respectively. Our results confirmed the possibility of SE and SE-E as effective functional materials. Further research investigating the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities of S.polyrhiza is necessary to confirm its potential use in the food, cosmetics, and drug industries.