Been-Huang Chiang

Improving the antioxidant activity of buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricm Gaertn) sprout with trace element water

Trace element water (TEW) (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500ppm) was used to grow buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricm Gaertn) to evaluate whether the beneficial effects of trace elements on the antioxidant activity could be accomplished with the supplement of TEW. At 300ppm, TEW significantly increased the Cu, Zn and Fe contents in buckwheat sprout, but not the Se and Mn contents. The levels of rutin, quercitrin and quercetin did not differ between buckwheat sprouts grown in TEW and de-ionized water (DIW). The ethanolic extract from buckwheat sprout grown in 300ppm TEW showed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferrous ion chelating activity, superoxide anion scavenging activity and inhibitory activity toward lipid peroxidation than that grown in DIW. The extract of the TEW group also enhanced intracellular superoxide dismutase activity and resulted in lower level of reactive oxygen species in human Hep G2 cells.

Cytotoxic activities of 9,11-dehydroergosterol peroxide and ergosterol peroxide from the fermentation mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum cultivated in the medium containing leguminous plants on Hep 3B cells.

The objective of this study was to investigate the cytotoxicity of the ethanolic extract of mycelia from Ganoderma lucidum (EMG) cultivated in a medium containing leguminous plants Glycine max (L.) Merr. and Astragalus membranaceus on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep 3B) and to isolate the active components from EMG. The results indicated that EMG induced cytotoxicity in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the cells treated with EMG for 24, 48, and 72 h had IC(50) values of 156.8, 89.9, and 70.1 microg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, EMG was fractionated into seven fractions (F1-F7). We found that F5 and F6 had higher growth inhibitory effects on Hep 3B cells than the other fractions, and F6 possessed enough amounts (about 2.1 g) to carry out a more detailed study. F6 caused a sub-G1 peak rise and DNA fragmentation in Hep 3B cells and was further separated by high-performance liquid chromatography to obtain two active compounds, 9,11-dehydroergosterol peroxide [9(11)-DHEP] (compound 1) and ergosterol peroxide (EP) (compound 2). The IC(50) values of 9(11)-DHEP and EP based on the cell viability of Hep 3B were 16.7 and 19.4 microg/mL, respectively.

The 4-acetylantroquinonol B isolated from mycelium of Antrodia cinnamomea inhibits proliferation of hepatoma cells

BACKGROUND Antrodia cinnamomea is known for its antihepatoma activity, yet the identity of its active compound was unclear. In this study, a 5-ton fermenter was used to prepare sufficient mycelium of A. cinnamomea for active compound isolation and identification. RESULTS Using antiproliferative activity toward HepG2 cells as guidance in the isolation process, 4-acetylantroquinonol B was purified and identified to be the major bioactive compound of A. cinnamomea cultivated by submerged fermentation. The median effective doses (EC(50)) of 4-acetylantroquinonol B for HepG2 cells were 0.10 +/- 0.00 and 0.08 +/- 0.00 microg mL(-1) for 72 and 96 h treatments, respectively. The selective indices of 4-acetylantroquinonol B were 100 and 125 for 72 and 96 h treatments, respectively, indicating that this compound had high selective activity for hepatoma cells. CONCLUSION 4-Acetylantroquinonol B is the major antihepatoma constituent of Antrodia cinnamomea mycelium produced by submerged fermentation.