Scutellariae plants contain a large number of flavonoids and in addition, many of them are with unusual A- and/or B-ring substitutions. The total number of flavonoids reported up to the middle of 1991 are 137 including 89 of flavones, flavonols and their glycosides including 3 C-glycosides$(1{\sim}89)$, 39 of flavanones, dihydroflavonols and their glycosides $(90{\sim}128)$, 8 of chalcones $(129{\sim}136)$ and one biflavonoid, 8, 8'-bibaicalein(137). More than half of the flavonoids are with either unusual 5-metboxy(2'-methoxy in case of chalcones) in A-ring and/or 2'-oxygenation(2-oxygenation in case of chalcones) in B-ring substitutions. Four flavones, four flavanones and two chalcones are with methylation at 5-OH(2'-OH in case of chalcones) and six of them also have 2'-oxygenations(2- in case of chalcones). Sixtyeight out of total 137 flavonoids have oxygenated substitution at 2'-(2- in case of chalcones) position of B-ring and in addition, 27 of them have another oxygen function at 6'-(6- in case of chalcones) and 18 of them have additional oxygen substitutions either at 3'-, 5'-,3',6'-or 3', 4', 5'-(3, 4, 5- in case of chalcones) positions. The distribution and isolation of flavonoid components of Scutellariae plants are tabulated with references.

Seven hydrolysable tannins and two related compounds have been isolated from the acetone-water(4 : 1) soluble portion of the aerial parts of Euphorbia ebracteolata(Euphorbiaceae). Seven hydrolysable tannins have been determined as 3-O-galloyl-shikimic acid, 1, 3, 4, 6-tetra-O- and $1,\;2,\;3,\;4,\;6-penta-O-galloyl-{\beta}-D-glucose$, corilagin, tercatain, punicafolin and geraniin and two related compounds determinedasgallicacidandellagicacidonthebasisof spectral data and physico-chemical evidence.

From the benzene soluble parts of Dystaenia takeshimana Kitagawa which is indigenous to Korea, three furanocoumarins have been isolated and identified as psoralen, xanthotoxin and dimethylsuberosin.

From the roots of Angelica dahurica Bentham et Hooker(Umbelliferae), three coumarin glycosides have been isolated and identified as skimmin, $8-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranosyl$ xanthotoxol and $tert.-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranosyl-heralenol$. $8-O-{\beta}-D-Glucopyranosyl-xanthotoxol$ was isolated for the first time from plant source.

From the BuOH soluble part of the roots of Anthriscus sylvestris Hoffm., two coumarin glycosides together with a nucleic acid have been isolated and identified as nodakenin and scopolin for coumarin glycoside and uracil for nucleic acid.

From the leaves of Ulmus parviflora isoquercitrin and rutin were isolated and identified by chemical and spectral analysis. The content of rutin was determined by HPLC, and it was about 2.81% in methanol extract.

Seven flavonoid components were isolated from fr. C of Scutellariae radix which showed antagonistic effects against bradykinin(BK). The results indicated that two oxygen functions (either -OH or $-OCH_3$) at 2'- and 6'-positions and/or an oxygen function at 6-position of flavone seemed to be favored for the BK inhibitory activities. Skullcapflavone-II(IV) which contains $6-OCH_3$, 2'-OH and $6-OCH_3$ in the structure was the most active among the flavones tested.

Impatiens balsamina Linne(Balsaminaceae) known as 'BONG SUN HWA' in Korea and has been used for the treatment of scrofulosis, carbunculus and dysenteria etc. Bioassay-guided fractionation of MeOH extract from the whole plants of Impatiens balsamina has afforded a simple naphthoquinone derivative, 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone. The structure of this compound was established by spectroscopic methods. This compound possessed strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans, AspergiIlus niger, Crytococcus neoformans and Epidermophyton floccusum. The activity of 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on E. floccusum $(MIC{\;}:{\;}5.0{\;}{\mu}g/ml)$ was the same potency as that of nystatin. It showed also strong antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis as well as gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium. Although the activity of this compound on gram-negative bacteria was lower than that of gram-positive bacteria.

The studies were conducted to investigate the combined effects of several combined preparation of crude drugs and mitomycin C(MMC). The combined effects on the proliferation of HepG2, A549, KHOS-Np, A431 and HeLa cells were estimated by MTT colorimetric assays. Sa Kunja Tang(SKT), Boyang Hwanoh Tang(BHT) and Hyulbu Choogo Tang(HCT) inhibited the proliferation of A549 and HeLa cell. The inhibitory action of MMC was increased by the combined treatment of SKT and MMC, and Sa Mul Tang(SMT) and MMC, respectively. When the mice were treated by MMC, the number of leukocyte was decreased significantly at the 3rd day, but recovered at the 7th day. In the groups of MMC treated with SKT or HCT, the number of leukocyte was increased significantly that the group of MMC treated only at the 1st and 3rd day. The combined treatment of SKT, SMT, BHT, HCT and MMC retained the spleen weight of mice at the level of normal mice, but decreased the thymus weight of mice. The combined treatment of SKT, SMT, BHT, HCT and MMC increased the number of PFC significantly than the MMC treated group. The combined treatment of SKT, SMT, BHT, HCT and MMC increased the T cell proliferation significantly thant the MMC treated group.

The neuroprotective effect of betaine, one of the components of Lycii Fructus, on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultured chicken brain cells were examined. Betaine was found to attenuate glutamate-induced neurotoxicity at the concentration of $5{\sim}10{\;}mM$ in both morphological and chemical aspects. The pretreatment of chicken brain cells with $5{\sim}10{\;}mM$betaine for 2hr at the 12 th day of culture before the 40min-exposure to $500\;{\mu}M$ glutamate significantly increased the survival rate of nerve cells in chicken brain. Betaine could also raise the decreased LDH-level in chicken brain cells which were induced neurotoxicity with $100\;{\mu}M$ glutamate. LDH value was decreased to 63% of control level in chicken brain cells at the time of 48 hr after the exposure to glutamate. However, the pretreatment of chicken brain cells with 5 mM betaine for 2 hr before the exposure to glutamate prevent the decrease of LDH in cells showing 90% of control level. Nevertheless, the remarkable neuroprotective effect of betaine on the glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in cultured chicken brain cells could not be observed when betaine was simultaneously administrated with glutamate.

The cytotoxic activity of medicinal plants was screened using A549 human lung cancer cell line. Plant materials were extracted with 80% methanol and fractionated to chloroform and water layers. Each methanol, chloroform, and water extract of thirty-two medicinal plants was tested for cytotoxic activity in A549 cell culture system and the cell viability was measured by SRB assay.

We studied to screen medicinal plants having hepatoprotective activity with the primary cultured rat hepatocytes intoxicated with carbon tetrachloride cytotoxicity. The lowest concentration and treatment time of carbon tetrachloride giving the greatest intoxication to the primary cultured hepatocytes were observed in 10mM and 60 minutes, respectively. GTP and GOT activity of culture broth of the primary cultured rat hepatocytes intoxicated by $CCl_4$ cytotoxicity at this condition were increased 135.9% and 178.3% compared with that of the primaries cultured hepatocytes not treated with $CCl_4$, respectively. This increased GPT activity was inhibited by glycyrrizin, which was known to have hepatoprotective activity, and the inhibition activity was dependent on the concentration of glycyrrhizin. Forty species among the extracts obtained from 117 species of medicinal plants were shown to have the hepatoprotective activity. Among these 40 species, Prunus persica, Scutellaria baicalensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Tribulus terrestris, Caragana chamlagu, Acanthopanax sessiliflorum and Achyranthes japonica were indicated a lower GPT activity than that of Glycyrrhiza uralensis containing glycyrrhizin and GPT activity of these were indicated 75.5%, 70.0%, 59.0%, 77.5%, 60.0%, 75.0% and 79.0%, respectively.

Two flavonoid glycosides, astragalin(l) and liquiritin(2), were isolated from the fronds of Pyrrosia lingua.

Quercitrin and hyperin were isolated from the leaves of Kalopanax pictum and these structures were characterized on the basis of chemical and spectral data.