Inhibitory Effects of Herbal Extracts on Cyclooxygenase Activity of Prostaglandin $H_2$ Synthase from Sheep Seminal Vesicle

Prostaglandin $H_2$ synthase is the pharmacological target site of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Inhibitory effects on cyclooxygenase activity of the synthase by extracts prepared from herbal medicines and wild plants in Korea have been estimated. Sixteen species out of 612 species exhibited more than 50% of inhibition on the enzyme activity. The active extracts prepared from Carex humilis, Celastrus orbiculatus, Eugenia caryophyllata, Gleditsia japonica var. koraiensis, Glycyrrhiza grabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Gyrophora exculenta, Lespedeza maximowiczii, Morus alba, Persicaria conspicua, Prunus salicina, pterocarya stenoptera, Rheum undulatum, Vitis amurensis, and Vitis coignetiae have been sequentially washed with methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, n-butanol. Among the solvent fractions of the active herbal extracts, ethyl acetate fraction of Carex humilis exhibited the highest inhibitory effect on the cyclooxygenase activity of prostaglandin $H_2$ synthase.