• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.125-134
• /
• 2005

It is well known that Crataegus Fructus strengthens the Stomach and Spleen, helps digestion, tonify stomachache, and decreases bleeding. A major component isolated from this herb consist of carotene, riboflavin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, amygdalin, ursolic acid etc. In this study, we aimed to analyze the changes of liquid chromatogram pattern, one of major standardization method, to determine the quality of Crataegus Fructus.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2007

To consider potentially new sources which have hypoglycemic effect and accelerating alcohol detoxification, this study was designed to investigate the effect of Crataegus fructus and Morns alba L. in alcohol-treated rats. I compared the body weight, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) of rats administered both alcohol and extract of experimental plants to rats treated with alcohol alone. Administration of extracts of C. fructus and M alba, respectively, resulted in a significant reduction in the blood glucose level and the activities of ADH of liver compared to the control rats, and administration of extract of M. alba showed significantly lower on bodyweight gain in the rats than in other treated rats. In contrast, the activities of ALDH of liver were increased. The activities of AST and ALT between the only alcohol-treated rats and the alcohol and experimental plants-treated rats were no significant difference. The results suggest that C. fructus and M alba have a hypoglycemic effect, and reduce liver damage by accelerating acetaldehyde metabolism in alcoholic rats, so the combined effect of C. fructus and M alba may be considered as an alternative remedy for hangovers, alcohol-induced overweight and alcohol-induced diabetes.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.21 no.11
• /
• pp.1586-1591
• /
• 2011

This study was carried out to evaluate the antiobesity effects of Crataegus fructus in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and mice fed a high fat diet (high fat 45% cal). The inhibitory effect of methanol extract from Crataegus fructus on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes was quantified using Oil red O staining. Compared with the control, lipid accumulation was significantly decreased by 10-25% with treatment with Crataegus fructus extract at a concentration of 600-2,000 ug/ml. Three-week old ICR mice (n=24) were randomly divided into four groups (T0: normal diet, T1: high fat diet, T2: high fat diet and 50 ug of Crataegus fructus extract, T3: high fat diet and 100 ug of Crataegus fructus extract) and were fed an experimental diet for 5 weeks. At the end of the experiment, body weight gain in the T1 group (3.9${\pm}$0.24 g) was higher than that in the T0 group (2.56${\pm}$0.14 g), while body weight gain in the T2 (3.02${\pm}$0.25 g) and T3 (2.58${\pm}$0.16 g) groups was significantly reduced as compared with that of the T1 group. Moreover, liver weight in the T1 (4.8${\pm}$0.17 g) and T2 (4.8${\pm}$0.16 g) groups was significantly higher than that of the T0 (4.05${\pm}$0.16 g) and T3 (4.57${\pm}$0.10 g) groups, while kidney weight was significantly lower than that of the T0 and T3 groups (p<0.05). The levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride in serum in the T2 and T3 groups were significantly decreased compared to the T1 group. These results suggest that Crataegus fructus can be used as functional materials in food and medicine.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.364-369
• /
• 2008

Anti-hyperlipidemic effect of red ginseng (RG; the steamed root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) and Crataegii fructus (CF, the fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida BGE), which are used frequently in China and Korea as herbal medicines to treat arteriosclerosis, were investigated. Treatments of RG and CF significantly reduced blood triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice and serum TG levels in corn oil-induced hypertriglyceridemic mice. Ginsenoside Rg3 and ursolic acid, the main constituents of RG and CF, respectively, also reduced TG and TC levels in hyperlipidemic mice. RG and CF significantly lowered the high blood TG and TC levels and body and epididymal mass weights induced by long-term feeding of a high-fat diet and increased the high-fat diet-induced decrease in blood HDL cholesterol levels. RG and Rg3 reduced the blood TC levels more than CF and ursolic acid. However, blood TG level were reduced by CF and ursolic acid more than RG and Rg3. RG, CF, and their constituents also inhibited pancreatic lipase and HMG-CoA reductase activities. The most potent inhibitor was Rg3. These findings suggest that RG and CF may be suitable for the therapies of hypercholesterolemia and triglyceridemia, respectively.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.4 s.84
• /
• pp.535-539
• /
• 2007

The fructus of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge has been used as medicinal and food source in worldwide. In this study, a strong direct thrombin inhibition and antithrombosis activity were identified from the methanol extract of C. pinnatifida Bunge fructus. The solvent fractionation of fructus extract using hexane, ethylacetate, butanol revealed that the butanol fraction has a prominent antithrombin activity. Thrombin time(blood-clot formation time) and activated partial thromboplastin time(aPTT) extended to 835% and 315% by addition of the butanol fraction at concentration of 1.25 mg/mL, whereas thrombin time extended to 287% by addition of aspirin at concentration of 1,25 mg/mL. The butanol fraction showed anthrone-positive and weak ninhydrine-postive reaction. The thrombin inhibitory activity was not related to previously reported flavonoids or polyphenols. The activity was maintained against acid treatment(0.5 N HCl for 120 min), but rapidly lost by heat-treatment($100^{\circ}C$ for 30 min). Our results suggested that fructus of C. pinnatifida Bunge with non-heat treatment process could be developed as a natural source of antithrombosis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.67-71
• /
• 2002

This study investigated the relaxation effects of Crataegi Fructus(CF, Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) on the contraction evoked by phenylephrine in rabbit carotid artery, and also analyzes antioxidative status in vitro. CF revealed siginificant relaxation on phenylephrine-induced arterial contraction. It's relaxant effect statistically significant in both in the presence of endothelium and absence of endothelium, but statistically exerted more strong relaxation in the presence of endothelium. CF increased in vitro nitric oxide(NO) production in dose-dependent manner. Also, they reduced malondiaidehyde(MDA) concentrations, phosphatidyl choline-liposome(PCOOH) contents, linoleic acid-induced lipid peroxidation and exerted 1,1-diphenyl-2- picryl-hydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging effect, in vitro. These results indicate that Crataegi Fructus would be effective in relaxing arterial contraction and it's antioxidative effects may be involved in endothelium-dependent relaxation of artery via vascular protective properites.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.77-83
• /
• 2010

The fructus of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge (CBF) has been used as medicinal and food source in worldwide. In this study, antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract and its sequential organic solvent fractions of CBF against different pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida sp., were investigated. The methanol extract of CBF was active against various gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and the ethylacetate and butanol fractions of CBF showed strong antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli and various multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with minimal inhibitory concentration of 1.0~7.5 mg/mL. Also the fractions showed anti-Candida activity against C. albicans, C. kruseis and C. geochares. The methanol extract of CBF and its solvent fractions, except n-hexane fraction, did not show any hemolytic activity against human red blood cell up to $500\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The hemolysis in n-hexane fraction at $500\;{\mu}g/mL$ was less than 9.9%. Our results suggest that the CBF could be developed as a potent antibacterial agent, especially for multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.46 no.10
• /
• pp.1158-1163
• /
• 2017

This study investigated the antioxidative activity and whitening efficacy of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge fruit 70% ethanol extract (CFE). The total polyphenol contents of CFE was 61.31 mg/g, and the total flavonoid contents was 25.42 mg/g. The electron donating ability of CFE at a concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ was 85.80%. The ABTS radical scavenging activity, and reducing power of CFE at a concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ were 17.3% and 0.31, relatively. The maximum permissible levels of CFE in melanoma cells were $100{\mu}g/mL$. CFE at $50{\mu}g/mL$ reduced melanin contents by 8.5%. CFE at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ reduced intracellular tyrosinase activity by 46.83%. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that CFE effectively inhibited tyrosinase activity, whereas melanin synthesis was weak. These results suggest that Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge fruit could be used as a whitening agent and antioxidant resources for functional foodstuffs, cosmetics, and beauty industrial materials.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.146-150
• /
• 2003

It had been known for a while that Crataegi Fructus(CF; Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) had only a digestive effect. Recently, it has been demonstrated that CF also has an anti-hypertensive effect. However, its mechanism of relaxant effect has not been investigated yet. This study was examined to investigate the mechanism of vascular relaxation effect of CF in isolated rat thoracic aorta. CF revealed significant relaxation to phenylephrine(PE)-induced arterial contraction but much less to KCI-induced one. When CF was pretreated, it inhibited PE-induced contraction non-competitively. Methylene blue(10/sup -6/M) completely blocked the relaxant effect of CF whereas L-NAME(10/sup -5/M) did almost completely. However, atropine(10/sup -6/M) did not have any influence on vascular relaxation effect of CF. Regarding cNOS activity, CF significantly increased its activity from rat whole brain homogenate in a dose dependent manner which was inhibited by L-NAME(10/sup -5/M). On the other hand, CF did not affect on expression of TNF-α mRNA in RAW 264.7 cells, suggesting that CF is not related to iNOS activity. These results indicate that CF would be effective in relaxing vascular contraction through release of endothelial nitric oxide.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.215-220
• /
• 2008

Hypolipidemic effect of Insamsansa-eum (ISE, Ren-Shen-Shan-Zah-Yin in Chinese) consisted of Red ginseng (RG; the steamed root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) and Crataegii fructus (CF, the fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida BGE) is used frequently in China and Korea as a herbal medicine to treat arteriosclerosis, was investigated. Treatment of ISE significantly reduced blood triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice and serum TG levels in corn oil-induced hypertriglyceridemic mice. ISE significantly lowered the high blood TG and TC levels as well as body and epididymal mass weights in hyperlipidemic mice induced by long-term feeding of a high-fat diet and increased blood HDL cholesterol level. ISE and its ingredients, RG and CF, inhibited pancreatic lipase and HMG-CoA reductase activities. Of its ingredients, RG reduced the blood TC level and HMG-CoA reductase activity more than CF. CF reduced blood TG level and pancreatic lipase activity more than RG. These finding suggest that the antihyperlipidemic effect of ISE may be due to synergistic inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase and pancreatic lipase by RG and CF, and that ISE may be effective hypolipidemic agents.