Abstract
In order to promote the value of the flowers as new agricultural products, we investigated the biological activities of rape, arrowroot, and rose extracts. Biological activities investigated included antioxidant activity and the effects on 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells. When each flower was extracted with methanol, the antioxidant index and electron donating activity of roses was the highest $(IC_{50}$ of rose extract was $17.6 \mu{g}/m\ell$). When 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells were treated with extracts made with hexane, ethyl acetate, and ether, the rape extracts had a cytotoxic effect on the cells. 12.2% of cells survived when treated with a 3mg/$m\ell$ ether extract while those treated with the same concentration of hexane and ethyl acetate had survival rates of 76.2% and 78.6% respectively. In contrast to rape, the ether extract of arrowroot and rose stimulated the growth of 3T3-L1 cells. The effect of rose extracts was much bigger than those of other extracts. Although every rose extract stimulated the growth of the 3T3-L 1 cells, the ether extract stimulated growth up to 168.6% compared to the control at the concentration of $0.3mg/m\ell$, and 148.3% at the concentration of $1mg/m\ell$. The toxicity on cells treated with $H_2 O_2$ of $450\mu{M}l$was decreased with the addition of rose extract. The survival rate after treatment with rose extract at the concentration of $100\mu{g}/m\ell$ was increased to 71% compared to the 32% survival rate of control. From these results, it can be concluded that the extracts of arrowroot and rose seem to stimulate cells, whereas the extract of rape has a cytotoxic effect. Biological activities of ether extract were the strongest compared to those of other extracts at the tested concentrations.