Inhibitory Effect of Oriental Herbal Medicines on Tumor Necrosis $Factor-{\alpha}$ Production in Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells

Eleven out of 118 herbal medicines which are frequently used in Korean traditional prescriptions for inflammatory diseases exhibited more than 50% of inhibition on $TNF-{\alpha}$ production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells by their total ethanol extracts with 0.1 mg/ml as a final concentration. The active 11 total extracts were prepared from Angelica koreana, Coptis japonica, Cynanchum paniculatum, Magnolia frgesii, Magnolia officinalis, Panax ginseng, Patrinia scabiosaefolia, Pterocarpus santalius, Rhapontica uniflora, Saussurea lappa. Of them, Coptis japonica, Magnolia fargesii and Saussurea lappa also significantly inhibited $TNF-{\alpha}$ production in vivo. These total extracts were sequentially fractionated with n-hexane, methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water. Among the solvent-fractionated extracts with 0.05 mg/ml as a final concentration, inhibitory effects of Angelica koreana, Magnolia fargesii, Magnolia officinalis, Pterocarpus santalinus, Rhapontica uniflora and Saussurea lappa markedly showed in one or two solvent fractions suggesting that the principles may be concentrated by subfractionation as the main compounds.