Hee Rok Jeong

Neuroprotective and anti-oxidant effects of caffeic acid isolated from Erigeron annuus leaf

BackgroundSince oxidative stress has been implicated in a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimers disease (AD), natural antioxidants are promising candidates of chemopreventive agents. This study examines antioxidant and neuronal cell protective effects of various fractions of the methanolic extract of Erigeron annuus leaf and identifies active compounds of the extract.MethodsAntioxidant activities of the fractions from Erigeron annuus leaf were examined with [2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenz thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt)] (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Neuroprotective effect of caffeic acid under oxidative stress induced by H2O2 was investigated with [3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays.ResultsThis study demonstrated that butanol fraction had the highest antioxidant activity among all solvent fractions from methanolic extract E. annuus leaf. Butanol fraction had the highest total phenolic contents (396.49 mg of GAE/g). Caffeic acid, an isolated active compound from butanol fraction, showed dose-dependent in vitro antioxidant activity. Moreover, neuronal cell protection against oxidative stress induced cytotoxicity was also demonstrated.ConclusionErigeron annuus leaf extracts containing caffeic acid as an active compound have antioxidative and neuroprotective effects on neuronal cells.

Change in the Chemical Composition of Chestnuts (Castanea crenata) from Different Periods

Compositional changes of the Korean chestnut (Castanea crenata) including Daebo, Tsukuba, Tanzawa and Okkwang were investigated in order to characterize them from different periods (immature, mature and storage period). Proximate compositions of mature cultivars were higher than that of the immature cultivars. Between minerals, K (263.0- 420.6 mg/100 g) and P (45.8-69.6 mg/100 g) of Tanzawa were highest, and they gradually increased during storage. Tsukuba, in mature period, showed the highest contents of total essential amino acids and glutamic acids as savory amino acids. Major fatty acids were palmitic acid and linolenic acid in four cultivars. In addition, linoleic acids, as ω-6 fatty acids, were increased during the storage period. Tanzawa, in the mature period, presented the highest levels of sucrose, however, tsukuba, in the storage period, showed relatively higher free sugar content than others. β-Carotene, as a provitamin A, of Tsukuba in the mature period was highly detected among them, and vitamin C of Tsukuba and Tanzawa was more plentiful than others.

Inhibitory effects of chestnut inner skin extracts on melanogenesis

Antioxidant capacities (ABTS radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay), mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory effect, and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) induced melanogenesis inhibitory effect of 60% methanol extracts and ethylacetate fractions from chestnut inner skin in B16F10 cells were investigated to inspect whitening effect. Above research showed that 60% methanol extracts and ethylacetate fractions from chestnut inner skin resulted in a dose-dependent manner on in vitro antioxidant effects. Especially, the ethylacetate fractions inhibited enzyme activity of mushroom tyrosinases with an IC50 value of 160 μg/mL. Ethylacetate fractions from chestnut inner skin also decreased cellular melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. Expression of tyrosinase showed that ethylacetate fractions from chestnut inner skin significantly decreased cellular melanogenesis. Consequently, these results suggest that chestnut inner skin extracts can be considered for a whitening agent of human skin.

Antioxidant and Neuronal Cell Protective Effects of Columbia Arabica Coffee with Different Roasting Conditions

In vitro antioxidant activities and neuronal cell protective effects of ethanol extract from roasted coffee beans were investigated. Colombia arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) green beans were roasted to give medium (230°C, 10 min), city (230°C, 12 min) and french (230°C, 15 min) coffee beans. Total phenolics in raw green beans, medium, city and french-roasted beans were 8.81±0.05, 9.77±0.03, 9.92±0.04 and 7.76±0.01 mg of GAE/g, respectively. The content of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, the predominant phenolic, was detected higher in medium-roasted beans than others. In addition, we found that extracts from medium-roasted beans particularly showed the highest in vitro antioxidant activity on ABTS radical scavenging activity and FRAP assays. To determine cell viability using the MTT assay, extracts from medium-roasted beans showed higher protection against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity than others. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage was also inhibited by the extracts due to prevention of lipid peroxidation using the malondialdehyde (MDA) assay from mouse whole brain homogenates. These data suggest that the medium-roasting condition to making tasty coffee from Columbia arabica green beans may be more helpful to human health by providing the most physiological phenolics, including 5-O-caffeoylquinic acids.