We investigated the biological activities of extracts from the flowers of Angelica gigas Nakai. The IC50 of the DPPH radical scavenging activity was 3,535 and 105.0 μg/mL in the water and ethanol extracts, respectively, whereas it was 12.7 μg/mL for ascorbic acid. The results showed that the total polyphenol content of the ethanol extracts (48.43±0.18 mg/g) was higher than that of the water extracts (39.03±0.69 mg/g). The flavonoid content of the ethanol extracts (67.02±4.38 mg/g) was higher than that of the water extracts (50.32±1.24 mg/g). The ethanol extract showed a 34.45% lower α-glucosidase inhibition activity than that for acarbose. The ethanol extract showed a 23.62% lower α-amylase inhibition activity compared with that for acarbose. The water extract showed 16.76% lower pancreatic lipase inhibition activity. Anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity was also lower. These results suggest that the flower of Angelica gigas Nakai may be useful as an anti-oxidative agent.
This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of extracts from Caesalpinia sappan L. (CSL) on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema in mice. Skin inflammation was detected by immunohistochemistry and the protein and mRNA expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α) detected by Western blotting and RT-PCR. The activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were analyzed by Western blotting. CSL extracts markedly inhibited the TPA-induced expression of COX-2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Also, CSL extracts significantly reduced the activation of NF-κB and MAPK. These results suggest that CSL extracts may serve as therapeutic agents against skin diseases related to inflammation.
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