• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2014

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is one of the richest sources of flavonoids in human diet. Onion peel contains over 20 times more quercetin than onion flesh. In this study, we studied the effects of onion peel water extract (OPE) on the blood lipid profiles in mice. The onion peel extracts was extracted with hot water. The experimental groups were divided with 3 groups (n = 6) of ICR male mice: normal diet + distilled water (NC), high-fat diet + distilled water (HF), high-fat diet + onion peel water extract 20 mg/kg (OPE-20). The oral administration was conducted daily. The experimental period was 7 weeks. Onion peel water extract showed higher concentration of polyphenol gallic acid and anti-oxidant trolox equivalent than the ethanol extract. The body weight gain and food efficiency ratio was significantly lower in the OPE-20 group as compared with HF group (p < 0.05). The epididymal fat and retroperitoneal fat showed significantly lower weights and sizes in the OPE-20 group as compared with HF group (p < 0.05). The serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly lower in the OPE-20 group as compared with HF group (p < 0.05). The OPE-20 group showed higher HDL cholesterol concentration than HF group (p < 0.05). Atherogenic index was ignificantly lower in as compared with HF group (p < 0.05). The serum levels of glucose, GOT and GPT were significantly lower in the OPE-20 group as compared with HF group (p < 0.05). In these results, we suggests that onion peel water extracts supplementation can reduces the serum lipid components and improves the lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic mice induced with a high-fat diet.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.364-368
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• 2014

This study investigated the antioxidant activity of onion peels extracted from onion byproducts by hot water treatment. Hot water extraction of freeze dried onion peel powder was analyzed for total polyphenol content, 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picryllhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ehtylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities, reducing power, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Total polyphenol content was the highest (233.90 mg/g) in onion peel extract mix with ethanol (OPME-1). The DPPH radical scavenging activity ($IC_{50}$), reducing power, and ORAC obtainbed from onion peel extract mix with ethanol precipitation (OPMPE-1) were the highest at 1.15 mg/mL, 1.69 $A_{700}$, and $318,509{\mu}M\;TE/mL$, respectively. The ABTS radical scavenging activity was the highest at 432.78 mg amino acids (AA) eq/g in the OPM. The results of this study suggest that onion peel extracts have marked antioxidant activity, which can have significant health benefits.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.148-154
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• 2015

Onion (Allium cepa) is one of the flavonoids-rich materials in human diet and onion peel, which is the onion by-products, contains over 20 times more quercetin than the flesh. In this study, to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of onion peel hot water extract (OPHWE), the cell viability, nitric oxide (NO), pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interluekin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), and IL-$1{\beta}$, were measured using the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 cells. The Balb/c mice were used for an in vivo acute toxicity test and ICR mice were used for measurement of inhibition effects of croton oil-induced mouse ear edema. As a result, NO levels decreased in a dose-dependent manner. The production of IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, and IL-$1{\beta}$ was suppressed by 38%, 41%, and 34% respectively, compared with that of the LPS only group, without any cytotoxicity. The edema formation in the ICR mouse ear was also reduced compared to that in control. Moreover, there were no mortalities occurred in mice administered 5,000 mg/kg body weight of OPHWE. These results suggest that OPHWE has considerable anti-inflammatory activities and can be regarded as a potent candidate material to treat inflammatory diseases.