Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory of Mixed Medicinal Herb Extract

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives : This paper aimed to verify the applicability of mixed extract of Angelica gigas Nakai, Cnidium officinale Makino, Paeoniala ctiflora Pall, Rechmannia glutinosa Libosch, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, which were prescribed for improving inflammation in Donguibogam, as t he materials for beauty food and functional medicinal herb cosmetics by manufacturing such mixed extract an d evaluating the biological activity of the extract.Methods : The mixed medicinal herb water extract(MMW) and ethanol extrac t(MME) were freeze-dried to be used as the specimen. We performed electron donating ability, lipid acidification inhibitory activity, anti-inflammatory activity against skin flora, MTT assay, NO inhibitory activity and the protein expression inhibitory activity of iNOS and COX-2.Results : For anti-oxidation experimentation, the electron donating abil ities of MMW and MME were above 60.0% and 90.0% at 500 µg/ml, respectively. In the inhibition rate of lipid peroxidation, MMW and MME showed 43.1% and 52.1% at 1,000 µg/ml, respectively. As a result of antimicrobial activity, both the MMW and MME showed significant clear zones for Propionibacterium acnes at 4 mg/disc, but did not indicated the clearzones for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Anti-inflammatory activity by NO assay showed LPS-induced NO was significantly inhibited i n a concentration-dependent manner. Also, the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins were significantly inhibited following treatment with MMW and MME of 50 µg/ml. Conclusions : Accordingly, it can be concluded that mixed medicinal herb extract has the potential to beused as a functional food and cosmetic material.Key words : Electron donating ability, Antimicrobial activity, Anti-inflam matory, nitric oxide, iNOS, COX-2