In order to investigate the efficacies for cognitive function of edible plants, we measured the inhibitory effects of acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity, radical scavenging activities, and the contents of GABA and glutamate in the plant extracts. Among the plant extracts, Schizandra chinensis contained the highest GABA 14.8 mg/g and the extracts of Cnidium officinale and Polygonum multiflorum also had a relatively high GABA. On the other hand, plant extracts except, Acorus gramineus, showed similar glutamate contents. S. chinensis, Hovenia dulcis, Thuja orientalis, and Eleutherococcus senticosus exhibited high inhibition against AChE activities at about 18-33% at 1 mg/mL. In addition, strong radical scavenging activities were also detected in those extracts which showed high AChE inhibition. Taken together, H. dulcis, T. orientalis, E. senticosus, and S. chinensis could be effective resources for enhancing cognitive function. Further, it was suggested that the AChE inhibitory activities of plant extracts might be related to antioxidative activity.

The anti-obesity effect of ethanol extract and their fractions from Rumex Crispus L. on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes to adipocytes was investigated by suppressing adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation with Oil red O assay, western blot and real-time PCR analysis. Ethyl acetate fraction of Rumex crispus L. significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation when treated during the adipocyte differentiation process, as assessed by measuring fat accumulation using Oil red O staining. In inducing differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in the presence of an adipogenic cocktail, isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), dexamethasone-and insulin-along with ethyl acetate fraction residue processing treatment significantly decreased protein expression of obesity-related proteins, such as peroxisome-proliferatorsactivated-receptor-γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT enhancer-binding-proteins α (C/EBPα). These results indicate that ethyl acetate fraction of Rumex crispus L. is the most effective candidate for preventing obesity. However further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds that confer the anti-obesity activity of ethyl acetate fraction from Rumex crispus L.

This study investigated the cognition-related effects on antioxidant activities, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contents, and AChE inhibitory activities in ethanol extracts from Zingiber officinale

This study was performed to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of methanol extract from Rosmarinus officinalis L. and its fractions. The ethyl acetate fraction of rosemary had a higher antioxidant activity in both DPPH (3.22 µg/ml) and ABTS (5.05 µg/ml) compared to other extracts and fractions. Based on the results of the FRAP assay, the ethyl acetate fraction of rosemary showed a value of 5.9±0.3 µM/µg, and buthanol fraction and rosmarinic acid exhibited values of 4.8±0.2 µM/µg and 5.1±0.1 µM/µM, respectively. Measurements of the antimicrobial activities of the extracts, fraction against gram positive, negative bacteria revealed that the methanol extract, hexane, ethyl acetate, and chloroform fraction of rosemary caused Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to form clear zones greater than 12 mm. Furthermore, the methanol extract and chloroform fraction showed high antibacterial activity, with inhibition zone exceeding 13 mm. The methanol extract and chloroform fraction of rosemary had broad antimicrobial spectrums and low MIC values. Therefore, methanol extracts of rosemary could serve as potential antibacterial agents to inhibit pathogen growth in food and hand sanitizers.