Abstract
The ethanol extracts from Angelica gigas Nakai and Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa were fractionated to diethyl ether and aqueous partitions. Both partitions had strong antimutagenic effect on the MNNG (N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine) by Ames mutagenicity test. Diethyl ether fractions exhibited the greatest antimutagenic effect suppressing the mutagenicity of MNNG with inhibition of 78-80%. The ethanol extracts from both species showed the inhibitory effect on the growth of several human cancer cell lines. Especially, the diethyl ether fraction from ethanol extracts was most effective on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, inhibiting 90-95% of cell growth. However, the aqueous fractions had least inhibition activity on many cancer cells. There was little cytotoxicity on human normal liver cell by ethanol extracts. Diethyl ether fraction from Angelica gigas Nakai ethanol extract had cytotoxicity less than 20% on human normal liver cells, compared with that from Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa ethanol exract. The adding of 0.5 (g/l) of diethyl ether fractions of Angelica gigas Nakai or Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa increased immune activity by enhacing human B and T cells up to three to four times. It was proven that diethyl ether fraction (0.7 g/1) from Angelica gigas Nakai could control blood pressure by suppressing angiotensin converting enzyme activity up to 98%. From TLC, it was appeared that both of diethyl ether partitions had umbelliferon, known to one of active substances from Angelica gigas Nakai and Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa.