Abstract
Objectives : Corydalis tuber has been used for promoting blood circulation and for relieving pain in Oriental medicine. In the present study, we focused on the antimicrobial activity of Corydalis tuber and compared its antimicrobial activity with the processed Corydalis tuber. Methods : Processing of Corydalis tuber was accomplished by immersing in 5% of acetic acid for 12 h and then by roasting at $250^{\circ}C$ for indicated time periods(0-30 min). Minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) and the zone of growth inhibition were determined against Propionibacterium acnes(P. acnes). Results : The methanolic extracts of Corydalis tuber showed potent antimicrobial effect(MIC 62.5 ${\mu}g/ml$). Its alkaloidal component, dehydrocorydaline, also exhibited antibacterial activity(MIC 25.0 ${\mu}g/ml$). After processing of Corydalis tuber, its inhibitory effect on the growth of P. acnes was significantly enhanced compared with that of unprocessed Corydalis tuber. Furthermore, elevated content of dehydrocorydaline was found in the processed than the unprocessed Corydalis tuber. However, the different roasting minutes effected on antimicrobial activity. The best roasting time of Corydalis tuber was 10 min, while roasting for the time above 15 min resulted in diminishing antimicrobial activity. Thus, it was concluded that the standardized processing condition of Corydalis tuber should be established to obtain enhanced antimicrobial(P. acnes) activity. Conclusion : For antimicrobial effect against P. acnes, the best processing condition of Corydalis tuber is immersing in 5% of acetic acid for 12 h and by roasting at $250^{\circ}C$ for 10 min.
