• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.16-21
• /
• 2005

Nitric Oxide (NO), derived from L-arginine, is produced by two types (constitutive and inducible) of nitric oxide synthase (NOS: cNOS and iNOS). The NO produced in large amounts by the iNOS is known to be responsible for the vasodilation and hypotension observed in septic shock, cancer metastasis and inflammation. The inhibitors of iNOS, thus, may be useful candidates for the treatment of inflammatory diseases accompanied by the overproduction of NO. We prepared alcoholic extracts of herbal drugs which have been used for the treatment of inflammation in oriental medicine. We have screened the inhibitory activity of NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages after the treatment of these extracts. Among 82 kinds of extracts of herbal drugs, 35 extracts showed the potent inhibitory activity of NO production above 50% at the concentration of $50\;{\mu}g/mL$. The inhibitory activities of NO production were also evaluated for several solvent fractions at two different concentrations. Especially, hexane and EtOAc fractions of Alpinia officinarum, Angelica gigas, Ostericum koreanum, Saussurea lappa, Torilis japonica, and hexane fractions of Agrimonia pilosa, Machilus thunbergii, Hydrangea serrata, Magnolia obovata, Prunella vulgaris, Tussilago farfara, and EtOAC fractions of Perilla frutescence showed a significant activity at 10 and/or $25\;{\mu}g/mL$. In Western blot analysis, the hexane fractions ($5\;{\mu}g/mL$) of Magnolia obovata and Saussurea lappa, and EtOAc fractions ($20\;{\mu}g/mL$) of Hydrangea Serrata, Perilla frutescence and Torilis japonica inhibited the expression of iNOS protein in LPS-activated macrophages. These plants may be promising candidates for the study of the activity-guided purification of active compounds and might be useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and endotoxemia accompanying overproduction of NO.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.105-111
• /
• 2001

We performed this study to determine the effect of Jiegeng(Platycodon grandiflorum), Danggui(Angelica sinensis), Gancao(Glycyrrhiza glabla), Chaihu(Bupleurum falcatnosa), Shoudehuang(Rehmannia glutinosa), Huangqi(Satragalus membranaceus), Muxiang(Saussurea lappa), Yuanzhi(Polygala tenuifolia), Rensen(Panax ginseng) and Baishaoyao(Paeonia lactiflolia), as Oriental radices herbs, on jejunal crypt survival, endogenous spleen colony formation and apoptosis in jejunal crypt cells of mice irradiated with high and low dose of ${\gamma}-radiation$. Jiegeng(p<0.005), Danggui(p<0.0005), Gancao(p<0.005), Chaihu(p<0.05), Muxiang(p<0.05), Rensen(p<0.005) and Baishaoyao(p<0.005) were effective in intestinal crypt survival. Danggui(p<0.05), Chaihu(p<0.05), Shoudehuang(p<0.05), Huangqi(p<0.05), Rensan(p<0.005) and Baishaoyao(p<0.05) increased the formation of endogenous spleen colony. The frequency of radiation induced apoptosis was also reduced by pretreatment with Chaihu(p<0.05), Muxiang(p<0.005), Yuanzhi(p<0.05), Rensan(p<0.05) and Baishaoyao(p<0.05). Although the mechanisms of this effect remain to be elucidated, these results indicated that Danggui, Chaihu, Muxiang, Rensan and Baishaiyao might be a useful radioprotector, especially since it is a relatively nontoxic natural product.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.37-49
• /
• 2008

In this study, we experimented the influence of three herbal medicines, which are Saussurea lappa Clarke, Poncirus trifoliata Rafin, Citrus aurantium Linne, which are called 'Yigiyak(理氣藥)' on drug metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 in Human Liver Microsome. Above all, the reason for this study is that herbal medicines can be assumed that herbs might have interactions with drugs, other herbs, alcohol and chemicals whether those are much better synergy effects than expected effects when the medicine was treated alone or not. As a result, we showed that all of five traditional herbal medicines had no CYP 3A4 inhibition effect on 10, 20, 30, 40, $50{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ doses in Human Liver Microsome even Saussurea lappa Clarke showed a little inhibition as about 93% and 79% inhibition rate of control. However, this result are mostly not enough to prove that SLC has a CYP 3A4 inhibition effect. Moreover, it is not that those rates showed that those herbal medicines have CYP 3A4 induction effect. In conclusion, the result could support that those herbal medicines are more safe than chemical drugs even if this is the basic step to prove that result. Therefore, more specific studies to support this result, which are Kinetic study, cell and animal study then finally until clinical research, are required.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.36 no.2 s.141
• /
• pp.97-101
• /
• 2005

Saussureae Radix, the dried root of Saussurea lappa Clarke, has traditionally used for alleviating pain in abdominal distention and tenesmus, indigestion with anorexia, dysentery, nausea, and vomiting. Here we observed that methanol extracts of Saussurea Radix inhibited CDK2 activities in vitro. This inhibitory compound was isolated and identified as dehydrocostuslactone, one of the major constituents of Saussurea Radix. It is well known that dehydrocostuslactone induces apoptotic cell death. In this study, we also showed that dehydrocosruslactone inhibited cellular Rb phosphorylation and blocked cell growth at the concentration below $12\;{\mu}g/ml$ at which apoptotic cell death was not observed. Taken together, these results indicated that dehydrocostuslactone showed its anti-proliferative effects through the inhibition of CDK2 activity as well as the induction of apoptotic cell death.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.8-15
• /
• 2008

Saussurea lappa (SL) has been used to reduce abdominal pain and tenesmus in traditional oriental medicine. SL and major compounds of SL, sesquiterpene lactones, have been suggested to possess various biological effects, including anti-tumor, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and cardiotonic activities. Recently, it has been reported that ethanol extracts from roots of SL have antiproliferative effects on gastric cancer cells. To explore the possibility that SL has chemopreventive effects on prostate cancer, we examined whether the hexane extract of SL (HESL) inhibits the growth of LNCaP human prostate cancer cells. Cells were incubated with various concentrations ($0{\sim}4$ mg/L) of HESL in DMEM/F12 containing 5% charcoal stripped fetal bovine serum. HESL substantially decreased viable cell numbers and induced apoptosis of LNCaP cells in dose-dependent manners. HESL increased the levels of cleaved caspase-8, -9, -7 and -3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. HESL increased the levels of the pro-apoptotic Bak and truncated-Bid proteins whereas it had no effect on the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or Mcl-1. The present results indicate that HESL inhibits the growth of human prostate cancer cells by inducing apoptosis, which involves the activation of the caspase cascades.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.207-214
• /
• 2008

In Asia Saussurea lappa (SL) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine to treat abdominal pain and tenesmus. Recently, in vitro cell culture studies have shown that SL has anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. To explore its potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects in colon cancer, we examined whether the hexane extract of SL (HESL) could inhibit the growth of HT-29 human colon cancer cells, and investigated the mechanisms for this effect. The cells were cultured with various concentrations (0-5 ${\mu}g/mL$) of HESL. The results indicated that HESL markedly decreased the numbers of viable HT-29 cells; whereas at the concentration of 5 ${\mu}g/mL$, HESL slightly decreased the viable cell numbers of CCD 1108Sk human skin normal fibroblasts at 72 hr. HESL substantially increased the numbers of cells in the sub G1 phase, and dose-dependently increased apoptotic cell numbers. Western blot analysis of the total cell lysates revealed that HESL increased Bax protein levels, but did not affect Bcl-2 levels. HESL induced the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspases 8, 9, 7, and 3. This study demonstrated that HESL inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in HT-29 cells, which may be mediated by its ability to increase Bax levels and activate the caspase pathway. These findings may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for colon cancer treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.31-35
• /
• 1998

In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of herbs related with treatments of intestinal diseases against intestinal pathogens under anaerobic broth system. The water extract of Saussurea lappa Clarke and Myristica fragrans Houtt. showed no growth inhibition against tested pathogens(Eubacterium limonsum ATCC 10825, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Bacteroides fragilis KCTC 5013, Clostridium perfringens STCC 3627, Staphylococcus aureus KFCC 11764 및 Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028). All tested pathogens were not inhibited in broth containing 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of Areca catachu L. Water extract but its extract strongly inhibited the growth of Eubacterium limonsum STCC 10825, Bacteroides fragilis KCTC 5013, Clostridium perfringens ATCC 3627 and Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 at 1,000 to 2,000$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of concentration. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus KFCC 11764 hardly grew in broth containing 2,000$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of Terminalia chebula Retz. water extract.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.29-34
• /
• 1999

The cellular growth inhibition of 20 natural products was screened using SRB (sulforhodamine B) assay against 4 human cancer cell lines(SNU-1, SNU-C$_{4}$, Hep3B, Kato III). Ethanol extracts of Salvia miltiorrhiza, Saussurea lappa and Chelidonium majus showed potent anticancer activity among them, and further, it was fractionated into methylene chloride, hexane and methanol. Methylene chloride and methanol fraction of Salvia radix showed significant inhibitory activity against 4 human cancer cell lines. The effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on anticancer activity in vitro models was evaluated with methylene chloride fraction of Salvia miltiorrhiza. Life span of ICR mice implanted with sarcoma-180 was increased by 40-61% and BDF$^{1}$ mice implanted with L1210 was increased by 66-89% upon intraperitoneal administration with methylene chloride fraction of Salvia miltiorrhiza. Based on these result, we suggested that Salvia miltiorrhiza showed anticancer activity on the in vivo and in vitro models

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.31-37
• /
• 2011

Objectives : This study was focused to investigate the toxicity of Saussurea lappa (SL) extracts in HL-60 cells and human lymphocytes. We also examined the differentiation effect of SL against leukemia cells. Methods : For examining the toxicity of SL, cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay and single cell gel eletrophoresis (SCGE) assay were used in present study. The cell differentiation effect of SL was evaluated by nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction assay. Results : The inhibition of cell growth in HL-60 cells was observed in a dose-dependant manner after SL treatment for 24 h. According to SCGE assay, HL-60 cells treated with SL increased DNA damage at $10{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, while DNA damage was induced by 0.1, 1, $10{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ concentration of SL in human lymphocytes. Our results indicated that SL have no genotoxic effect in HL-60 cells and human lymphocytes. Additionally, the differentiation effect was induced in $1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ SL-treated HL-60 cells. Conclusions : From above results it is suggested that SL could be beneficial for the preparation of the useful agent for treating leukemia.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.1509-1513
• /
• 2003

Antifungal activities of the extracts from 26 medicinal plants were investigated utilizing paper-disk diffusion method and (1,3)β-glucan synthase inhibitory assay. (1,3)β-glucan synthase is considered as valuable target in the development of antifungal agents. Among the screened extracts, the ethyl acetate extract of Equisetum arvense, the ethyl acetate extract of Polygonum aviculare, the butanol extract of Crataegus pinnatifida and the n-hexane extract of Saussurea lappa showed significant antifungal activities on Candida albacans in both disk diffusion and enzyme assays.