No abstract

Activity-directed isolation of the methylene chloride fraction of the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. resulted in the identification of a new epoxymollugin (3) and eight known compounds (1, 2, 4-9). The structures of the compounds were elucidated from chemical and spectroscopic evidence. In addition, their topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activities and cytotoxicities were measured.

Gloiopeltis furcata (POSTELS et RUPRECHT) J. AGARDH is a perennial red alga (Rhodophyta) which belongs to the Endocladiaceae family and distributed in the north coast of Pacific, including Korea and Japan. Many reports have been published highlighting the variety of its biological activities, such as cancer prevention, 1) constipation improvement, 1) radical scavenging, 2,3) removement of cholesterol, 4) recalcification of tooth, 5) tyrosinase inhibition, 6) hair growth inhibition, 7) antitumor, 8) antibacterial, 9) antiaging and wrinkle prevention, 10) anti oral bacteria, 11) b-D-glucosidase inhibition, 12) and blood anticoagulation 13) from G. furcata. However, limited studies are available on the derived chemicals of this maritime plant, except for the studies on galactan and polysaccharides. 14)Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that damages the brain and results in cognitive impairment, including memory loss and learning disturbances commonly seen in the elderly. 15,16) Many different theories have been postulated for the etiology of AD and one of the well-established theories suggests the involvement of cholinergic pathway, indicating that progressive decline in the levels of neurotransmitter acetylcholine as the culminating process for development of AD.17) AD is also characterized pathologically by the presence of amyloid plaques and tauassociated neurofibrillary tangles, which are commonly related to the states of oxidative stress, such as exposure to peroxynitrite (ONOO Ϫ ) and superoxide anion ( · O 2 Ϫ ).18) Thus, this research was done to determine effectiveness as cholinesterases (ChEs) inhibitors by alleviating the cholinergic deficits improving neurotransmission and utilize its antioxidant property to ameliorate oxidative stress.Limited studies have been conducted and reported that highlights the chemical constituents anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities of G. furcate. This work focuses on the isolation and characterization of bioactive constituents of G. furcata to evaluate of anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities via inhibitory activities on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and scavenging activities on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and ONOO Ϫ , respectively. Results and DiscussionG. furcata was extracted with 95% ethanol (EtOH) and concentrated in vacuo. The EtOH extract of G. furcata was subsequently fractionated into five parts: n-hexane, methylene chloride (CH 2 Cl 2 ), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (BuOH) and water. Anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities of these fractions were examined via inhibitory activities on AChE and BChE as well as scavenging activities on DPPH radical and ONOO Ϫ . The results showed that the EtOAc fraction had the strongest DPPH radical and ONOO Ϫ scavenging activities; while n-hexane and EtOAc fractions had BChE inhibitory activity.Chromatographic separation of the EtOAc, CH 2 Cl 2 , and nhexane fractions yielded eighteen compounds, including 1-10 from the EtOAc fra...

In order to facilitate the quality control of some selected Korean thistles (Cirsii Herb), Cirsium japonicum var ussuriense, C. japonium var spinosissimum, C. setidens, C. pendulum, C. nipponicum, Carduus crispus, and Breea segetum, a simple, accurate and reliable high performance liguid chromatography method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the six flavonoids: luteolin 5-O-glucoside (1), luteolin 7-O-glucoside (2), hispidulin 7-O-neohesperidoside (3), luteolin (4), pectolinarin (5), and apigenin (6), which were selected as the chemical markers of the thistles. Separation was achieved on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18 column with a gradient solvent system of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid aqueous-methanol at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL/min and detected at 254 nm. All six calibration curves showed good linearity (R(2) > 0.991). The method was reproducible with intra- and inter-day variations of less than 6%. The recoveries were in the range of 90.01-100.05%. This analysis method was successfully utilized to quantify the six flavonoids in the 22 batches of the thistles. The results demonstrated that this method is simple, reliable and suitable for the quality control of this medicinal herb.

Activity-directed isolation of the n-hexane and dichloromethane fractions ofKey words Capsosiphon fulvescens; capsofulvesin; cholinesterase inhibitor; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl; peroxynitrite Capsosiphon fulvescens (the family Ulvaceae) is a green alga that is widely distributed throughout the world but grows in copious amounts along the southwestern coast of Korea. 1)C. fulvescens has been used in Korea as a functional food for centuries because of its unique flavor and soft texture and is also often used to treat stomach disorders and hangovers. Many reports have been published highlighting the variety of biological activities of C. fulvescens, including antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-cancer activities, 1,2) as well as immunostimulation 3) prevention of osteoporosis, 4) reduction of skin irritation, 5) inhibition of melanogenesis, 6) hangover reduction, 7) and hepatoprotection. 8) However, limited studies are available on the constituents of this maritime plant, except for the studies on polysaccharides. 1,3)Alzheimer's disease (AD) is chronic neurodegenerative disorder that damages the brain and results in cognitive impairment, including memory loss and learning disturbancs commonly seen in the elderly. 9,10) Many different theories have been postulated for the etiology of AD and one of the wellestablished theories suggests the involvement of cholinergic pathway, indicating that progressive decline in the levels of neurotransmitter acetylcholine as the culminating process for development of AD.11) AD is also characterized pathologically by the presence of amyloid plaques and tauassociated neurofibrillary tangles, which are commonly related to the states of oxidative stress, such as exposure to peroxynitrite (ONOO − ) and superoxide anion (·O 2 − ).12) Thus, this research was done to determine effectiveness as cholinesterases (ChE) inhibitors by alleviating the cholinergic deficits improving neurotransmission and utilize its antioxidant property to ameliorate oxidative stress.Since there has been limited research on the anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities of C. fulvescens or its chemical constituents, this work focuses on the isolation and characterization of bioactive constituents of C. fulvescens and evaluation of their inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and scavenging activities for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and ONOO − . Results and DiscussionC. fulvescens was extracted with 95% ethanol (EtOH) and concentrated in vacuo. The EtOH extract of C. fulvescens was subsequently fractionated into five parts: n-hexane, dichloromethane (CH 2 Cl 2 ), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH) and H 2 O. The anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities of these fractions were examined via inhibitory activities against AChE and BChE and scavenging activities for DPPH radical and ONOO − . The results showed that the n-hexane and CH 2 Cl 2 fractions had strong AChE and BChE inhibitory activities. Chromatographic separations of the n-...