Anti-Oxidant Activities of Acanthopanax senticosus Stems and Their Lignan Components

The antioxidant activities of Acanthopanax senticosus stems were evaluated in $CCl_4$-intoxicated rats. The n-butanol fraction from the water extract of the stems, when pretreated orally at 200 mg/kg/day for 7 consecutive days in rats, was demonstrated to exhibit significant increases in antioxidant enzyme activities such as hepatic cytosolic superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase by 30.31, 19.82 and 155%, respectively. The n-butanol fraction whereas showed a significant inhibition of serum GPT activity (65.79% inhibition) elevated with hepatic damage induced by $CCl_4$-intoxication. Eleutheroside B, a lignan component, isolated from the n-butanol fraction was found to cause a moderate free radical scavenging effection DPPH, its scavenging potency as indicated in $IC_{50}$ value, being 58.5$\mu$ M. These results suggested that the stems of A. senticosus possess not only antioxidant but also hepatoprotective activities.