• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.400-404
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• 2005

Activity-guided fractionation of a hexane-soluble extract of the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, using a mouse brain monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition assay, led to the isolation of two known naphthoquinones, acetylshikonin and shikonin, and a furylhydroquinone, shikonofuran E. These compounds were shown to inhibit MAO with $IC_{50}$ values of 10.0, 13.3, and $59.1 {\mu}M$, respectively. Although no specificity for MAO-A and MAO-B was shown by acetylshikonin and shikonin, a Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis indicated that the inhibition was competitive for both MAO-A and MAO-B activity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.404-409
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• 1999

The studies were carried out to investigate antimicrobial activity of mixture of Caesalpina sappan L. and Lithospermum erythrorhizon extracts against lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi. The effects of the mixture and crab shell extracts on the shelf-life of Kimchi were also investigated. The growth of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria and homofermentative lactic acid bacteria was inhibited by 98% ethanol extracts of Caesalpina sappan L. and Lithospermum erythrorhizon. The pH of Kimchi containing mixed extracts of Caesalpina sappan L. and Lithospermum erythrorhizon extracts (1 : 1) and crab shell was lower than that of control during fermentation for 25 days of $10^{\circ}C$. The viable cells of Lactic acid bacteria of the mixed extracts and crab shell added Kimchi were lower than that of control during fermentation. The sensory quality of the mixed extracts and Crab shell added Kimchi was a little inferior to control for during fermentation of Kimchi.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.643-649
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• 2013

In this study, we examined the antioxidative activities of ethanol extracts obtained from three plants; Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc., Xanthium strumarium Linn, and Lonicera japonica, which have traditionally been used as drugs in Eastern medicine in Korea. Their extraction yields were 7.01%, 2.92%, and 7.95% in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc., Xanthium strumarium L, and Lonicera japonica, respectively. The contents of the phenolic compounds were $4.3{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/ml$, $5.4{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/ml$, and $4.6{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/ml$ in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc., and Xanthium strumarium L, respectively. Furthermore, the radical scavenging activity measured through the DPPH assay appeared highest in the Lonicera japonica's extract, and its $EC_{50}$ was 0.24 mg/ml. Compared to the control, the xanthine oxidase inhibiting activities of all extracts were effective at 0.01 mg/ml concentration. Superoxide radical scavenging activity in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc. and Lonicera japonica was more than 80%, with a concentration of 50 mg/ml. OH radical scavenging activity was 40% in the three plants, with a concentration of 50 mg/ml scavenging activity. From our results, we demonstrated that the ethanol extracts of three medicinal plants have antioxidant activities and could be potential candidates for natural antioxidants.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.221-225
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• 2009

Lithospermum erythrorhizon has been known well as one of traditional medicine for fever reduction, detoxication, and blood circulation improvement. This study was carried out to isolate biological active compounds from roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and to investigate their low density lipoprotein (LDL) antioxidant and anticancer activities. The hexane extract of Lithospermi Radix has been separated on silica gel chromatography and a naphthoquinone pigment compound 1 has been isolated. The structure of the compound 1 has been identified by spectroscopic technique, including MS and NMR, as acetylshikonin (1). Acetylshikonin showed significantly inhibitory activity on $Cu^{2+}$-induced human LDL oxidation with $IC_{50}$ value of $8.8\;{\mu}M$ and obvious anticancer effect by inhibiting farnesyl:protein transferase (FPTase) activity with $IC_{50}$ value of $23\;{\mu}M$, which suggested that acetylshikonin might be useful for the treatment of atherosclerosis and cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fashion and Beauty
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.139-144
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• 2007

There was an increasing interest that herbal medicine and natural material extracts were proved processes of antioxidant, cosmeceutical activity and the other effects. The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant of extraction of four kinds from Prunus armeniaca L., Reynoutria elliptica, Curcuma aromatica, Lithospermum erythrorhizon. RE (Reynoutria elliptica) and CA (Curcuma aromatica) have good electron donating ability. The water and ethanol extract of RE at a 100 ppm concentration showed over 70%, the water extract at 500 ppm concentration showed 83% and the ethanol extract at 100 ppm concentration showed 86% of CA. Xanthine oxidase inhibition activity of the water extract of LE (Lithospermum erythrorhizon) at a 1,000 ppm concentration showed over 44%, on the other hand, RE showed in all lowest effect and there was no inhibition activity of a couple more extracts. In the measurement of nitrite scavenging activity, all extracts showed highly scavenging activity. Especially the water and ethanol extract of RE showed over 99% at 500 ppm, also LE showed over 40% at 10 ppm concentration.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.21 no.6 s.90
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• pp.908-918
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• 2005

The effects of adding Lithospermum erythrorhizon(gromwell) extract on the quality characteristics of Kangjung were examined to improve tunctionality of Kangjung and usage of gromwell extract. There was no significant difference of moisture quantity in the quality of Kangjung at 0, 0.25, $0.5\%$ level of added wild and cultivated gromwell extract, whereas there was a significant difference at $0.5\%$ addition level. Expansion rates of Kangjung were $25\%$ for control, $23\%$, and $19\%$ for $0.25\%$, and $0.5\%$ cultivated gromwell extract added groups, respectively, and $24\%$, and $24\%$ and for $0.25\%$and $0.5\%$ wild groinwell extract added groups, respectively. The rates were slightly decreased with increasing addition level. The hardness and crispness as determined by texture analyser were lower in Kangjung with added $0.5\%$ wild and cultivated gromwell extracts than in the others. The sensory characteristics such as appearance, tenderness, taste and overall acceptability of Kangjung prepared with $0.25\%$ gromwell extract showed no significant difference compared to the controlled group. However, there was significant difference in Kangjung with $0.5\%$ gromwell extract added(p<0.05).

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2013

Objective : Lithospermum Erythrorhizon (LE) has been used as an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. However, it is unclear that LE aqueous extract could show the anti-inflammatory effects in RAW 264.7cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous extract from LE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - induced inflammatory response. Methods : To measure out the cytotoxicity of LE, we performed the MTT assay. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of LE, we examined the inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin, (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and (IL)-6) on RAW 264.7 cells. We also examined molecular mechanisms such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor-B (NF-${\kappa}B$) activation by western blot. Results : Aqueous Extract from LE itself did not have any cytotoxic effect in RAW 264.7 cells. Aqueous extract from LE inhibited LPS-induced productions of inflammatory mediators such as NO, $PGE_2$, and pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in RAW 264.7cells. In addition, LE inhibited the phosphorylation of p38 kinases (p38), c-Jun $NH_2$-terminal kinase (JNK), and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusion : LE down-regulated LPS-induced production of inflammatory mediators through the inhibition of p38, JNK and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation. Taken together, these results could provide the evidence for the anti-inflammatory effects of LE. Therefore, LE may be a novel target in the management of inflammation and help to support a potential strategy for prevention and therapy of inflammatory diseases.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.295-299
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• 2000

Lithospermi Radix has been used in traditional medicine for antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, immunostimulating, antitumor and wound-healing activities. For the quality control of this drug, acetylshikonin was isolated from the hexane extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon(Boraginaceae) and identified by the spectroscopic evidences. A quantitative analysis of acetylshikonin using HPLC method showed that the average contents were $0.084{\pm}0.026%$ in 31 samples collected throughout the various regions of Korea.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.403-414
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• 2015

Lithospermum erythrorhizon has long been used as a traditional oriental medicine. In this study, the acute and 28-day subacute oral dose toxicity studies of hexane extracts of the roots of L. erythrorhizon (LEH) were performed in Sprague-Dawley rats. In the acute toxicity study, LEH was administered once orally to 5 male and 5 female rats at dose levels of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg. Mortality, clinical signs, and body weight changes were monitored for 14 days. Salivation, soft stool, soiled perineal region, compound-colored stool, chromaturia and a decrease in body weight were observed in the extract-treated groups, and no deaths occurred during the study. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose (ALD) of LEH in male and female rats was higher than 2,000 mg/kg. In the subacute toxicity study, LEH was administered orally to male and female rats for 28 days at dose levels of 25, 100, and 400 mg/kg/day. There was no LEH-related toxic effect in the body weight, food consumption, ophthalmology, hematology, clinical chemistry and organ weights. Compound-colored (black) stool, chromaturia and increased protein, ketone bodies, bilirubin and occult blood in urine were observed in the male and female rats treated with the test substance. In addition, the necropsy revealed dark red discoloration of the kidneys, and the histopathological examination showed presence of red brown pigment or increased hyaline droplets in the renal tubules of the renal cortex. However, there were no test substance-related toxic effects in the hematology and clinical chemistry, and no morphological changes were observed in the histopathological examination of the kidneys. Therefore, it was determined that there was no significant toxicity because the changes observed were caused by the intrinsic color of the test substance. These results suggest that the no-observed-adverse-effect Level (NOAEL) of LEH is greater than 400 mg/kg/day in both sexes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.1744-1752
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• 2013

We investigated the protective effect of UVB inducing photodamage from mulberry extract (ME) and Lithospermum erythrorhizon extract (LE). The contents of total anthocyanin and shikonin as a color compound of ME and LE were 4.92 mg/g and 9.58 mg/g, respectively. The electron donating ability and superoxide radical scavenging activity of ME were 84.32% and 76.34%, respectively. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity of the ME ($545.37{\mu}moles$ TE/g) was higher than LE ($427.18{\mu}moles$ TE/g). MMP-1 production in the HS68 cells were exposed to UVB suppressed by treatment with $200{\mu}g/mL$ of ME (68.6%) and LE (32.7%). ME and LE were applied to a skin aging mouse model, which was induced by the irradiation of UVB to the backs of hairless mice. The value of skin erythema index, wrinkle depth and thickness, epidermis thickness, and collagenous fiber damage in the experiment groups (MEL: ME 3%, MEM: ME 5%, MEH: ME 7%, LEL: LE 3%, LEM: LE 5%, LEH: LE 7%) were remarkably reduced than in the control group (only UVB exposure group), while water capacity increased. The level of total wrinkles depth in the skin was decreased to be 30% of the control group by MEH and LEM. These results suggest that ME and LE are useful cosmetic materials for skin protection against UVB-inducing.