To evaluate cytotoxic effect and topoisomerase I inhibition activity of Caesalpinia sappan L., both water and methanol extracts were examined using in vitro assay. The cytotoxic effect of Caesalpinia sappan L. examined using MTT and SRB assay and $IC_{50}$ values were measured against U937, HL60, HepG2, SNU-1, SNU-16 cancer cell lines. Among them the representative cytotoxic results are shown as follows; water extract (U937=13.39 ${\mu}g/ml$, HL60=8.65 ${\mu}g/ml$, HepG2=38.48 ${\mu}g/ml$, SNU-1=7.72 ${\mu}g/ml$, SNU-16=25.49 ${\mu}g/ml$), methanol extract (U937=13.35 ${\mu}g/ml$, HL60=9.43 ${\mu}g/ml$, HepG2=25.67 ${\mu}g/ml$, SNU-1=8.37 ${\mu}g/ml$, SNU-16=28.64 ${\mu}g/ml$). The inhibitory concentration of DNA topoisomerase I activity against water extract was 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ and the inhibitory concentration of DNA topoisomerase I against methanol extract was 400 ${\mu}g/ml$.

The present work was carried out to examine the effect of costunolide on the growth of several cells and characteristics of U-937 human leukemia-derived cell line. Costunolide produced a potent antitumor activity in vitro dependent on concentration against several tumor cells such as P-388, L-1210 leukemia and SNU-5 stomach cancer cells. However, it showed less cytotoxicity on normal cells such as Maccaccus rheus monkey kidney cells (MA-104) up to 200 ${\mu}M$ concentration. An effect of cell differentiation by costunolide was assessed by its ability to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT), and to induce phagocytosis of latex particles. In order to establish whether costunolide induces U-937 cells to differentiate toward macrophage or granulocyte, esterase activities was measured. Based on these results, we found that costunolide having cytotoxicity on U-937 human leukemia cells was explained through differentiation inducing activity.

The youngkaechulgamtang (Y) composed of four herb drugs, including Hoelen (H). Cinnamomi Ramulus (C). Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba (A) and Glycyrrhizae Radix (G). In oriental medicine literatures, Youngkaechulgamtang is described to be effective in headache, inflammation, uremia, gastritis, diarrhea and hypertension. To estimate the clinical effectiveness of Youngkaechulgamtang, several pharmacological experiments were carried out. The results are summerized as follows; On acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity, C+A, Y-G, Y-H, MIX and Y showed the significant elevation of glutathione-S-transferase. But, C+A, Y-G, Y-H, MIX and Y showed the significant suppression of serum aminotransferases. On ANIT-induced cholestasis, U (Ursodesoxycholic acid 50 mg/kg)+$Y_l$ (760 mg/kg) showed the significant increase of bile juice volume. $Y_l,\;Y_2$ (1520 mg/kg), U, $U+Y_l$ showed the remarkable increase of cholic acid. U and $U+Y_l$ showed the significant decrease of total bilirubin. From these results, it is suggest that Y shows liver protective effect against various hepatic injury. Especially, Youngkaechulgamtang was more effective than mixture of 4 ingredients in the elevation of glutathione-S-transferase in acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity.

This study was investigated on anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity on Gu-Mi-Gang-Hwal-Tang which has been used for the treatment of common cold and headache, arthralgia, fever in oriental medicine. The anti-inflammatory activities of Gu-Mi-Gang-Hwal-Tang water extract (GMGHT) on the carrageenin induced edema, acetic acid induced edema, and corton oil induced granuloma pouch in rats were examined. The analgesic effect of the GMGHT was investigated utilizing acetic acid induced writhing syndrome in mice. The antipyretic activity of the GMGHT was also investigated. The oral administration of GMGHT has been shown the anti-inflammatory activities in 1% carrageenin and acetic acid induced edema in rats. The GMGHT has been shown significant inhibitory effects on glanuloma and exudate formation in rats, especially the GMGHT (450 mg/kg) has the efficacy more than the GMGHT (150 mg/kg). The writhing syndromes induced by acetic acid in mice were inhibited, especially analgesic activity of the GMGHT (450 mg/kg) is similar to that of piroxicam and antipyretic activities were recognized in rats. In the present study, the GMGHT is indicated to have the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities.

In order to find less toxic antiviral agents from basidiomycetes, EA, the water soluble substance, was prepared from the carpophores of Elfvingia applanata (Pers.) Karst. EA was examined for antiviral activity against five strains of pathogenic viruses such as encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) Indiana and New Jersey strains, influenza A virus (Flu A), and varicella zoster virus (VZV) in vitro. Antiviral activity was evaluated by plaque reduction assay. Among five strains of viruses tested, EA exhibited the most potent antiviral activity against VSV Indiana strain with 50% effective concentration $(EC_{50})$ of 0.104 mg/ml in Vero cells, and its selectivity index (SI) was 36.5. EA was also examined for the virucidal activity, antiviral activity in preincubation on VSV Indiana strain in order to examine possible mode of antiviral activity. Preincubation of Vero cells with EA did not confer protection against VSV, however, prolonged exposure of cells to EA inhibited the replication of virus dose-dependently. In virucidal activity, the titer of infectious virus did not decrease significantly.

To search for less toxic antiherpetic agents, the inhibitory effects of twelve kinds of flavonoids including chrysin, quercetin, quercitrin, rutin, fisetin, gossypin, kaempferol, morin, naringenin, naringin, hesperetin and hesperidin on the plaque formation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) in Vero cells were examined by plaque reduction assay in vitro. Some flavonoids tested in this study showed potent antiherpetic activity, reducing intracellular replication of herpes simplex viruses when Vero cell monolayers were infected and subsequently cultured in medium containing flavonoids. Naringenin showed the most potent antiviral activity against HSV-1 with selectivity index (SI) of 19.1 and hesperetin showed the most potent antiviral activity against HSV-2 with SI of 9.8. These results suggest that some flavonoids may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of herpes simplex virus infections.

To search for less toxic antiherpetic agents, the inhibitory effects of natural hesperetin on the plaque formation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) in Vero cells were examined by the plaque reduction assay in vitro. Hesperetin inhibited plaque formations of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in a dose dependent manner. It also exhibited more potent antiherpetic activity on HSV-2 with selectivity index (SI) of 9.8 than on HSV-1 with SI of 8.4. The combined antiherpetic effects of hesperetin with nucleoside antiherpetic agents, acyclovir and vidarabine, were examined on the multiplication of these two strains of herpesviruses in Vero cells by the combination assay. The results of combination assay were evaluated by the combination index (CI) that was calculated by the multiple drug effect analysis. The combinations of hesperetin with acyclovir on HSV-1 and HSV-2 showed synergistic effects with CI values of $0.29{\sim}0.73$ for 50%, 70%, 90% effective levels and those with vidarabine showed partially synergistic or additive effects with CI values of $0.83{\sim}1.33$.

Isolation and quantitative determination of costunolide from Saussurea lappa Clarke (Compositae) has been conducted by using HPLC method. Costunolide in an acetone extract from the crude drug was separated on a RP-18 column using a $MeOH-H_20$ mixture (65:35) as an eluent and the average content is about $1.32{\sim1.42%.$ The content of costunolide in dried extract was decreased by about 24% in seven days. However it showed a slight decrease in solution. It is highly recommended that quantitative determination of costunolide from Saussureae Radix should be conducted as early as possible after solvent extraction.

A method using coloric and spectrophotometric detection have been developed for the identification of the tertiary or quaternary alkaloids contained in Corydalis tuber and its preparations. The principle is based on the formation or decomposition of complex compounds. The complex compound of the tertiary and quaternary alkaloids have been formed by adding tetrathiocyanatocobaltate [II] ion to the test soln. Diverse crude drugs were screened using this method and the results indicated that isoquinoline, aconitine-type alkaloids in crude drugs can be readily detected. The method is simple, convenient, reproducible and applicable to the verification of the crude drug Corydalis tuber and its preparations.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique was applied to extract cytotoxic substances from five medicinal plants including Angelica gigas, Angelica acutiloba, Aralia cordata, Spirodela polyrhiza, Bupleurum falcatum, and Acanthopanax sessiliflorus. The cytotoxicities against P388, A549, and HL-60 cell lines were determined for the supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of five plant materials employed and were compared with those of the conventional organic solvent extracts such as n-hexane, $CHCl_{3}$, and MeOH to evaluate the SFE as an alternative method to conventional organic solvent extraction. In most cases, the SFE extracts of plant materials showed enhanced cytotoxicities when compared with those of other organic solvent extracts. In addition, the optimum temperature and pressure of SFE for extraction of the cytotoxic substances were largely affected by both the plant species and the cell lines tested. These results suggested that SFE could be an alternative to the conventional organic solvent method for the selective extraction of cytotoxic compounds from plants.

The flower of Chrysanthemum morifolium L. has been used as 'Kamguk' in the Korean markets instead of it from C. indicum L. In order to evaluate the quality of Chrysanthemi Flos, the method for isolation and quantitative determination of luteolin as standard compound has been developed. It is analyzed with HPLC using the solvent system of MeOH-water-acetic acid (30:70:5). The amounts of luteolin from Chrysanthemi Flos in Korean markets are in the range of $0.03{\sim}0.04%.$ The amounts of luteolin from the flowers of C. indicum and C. boreale are approximately 0.14% and 0.04%, respectively.

Nine sesquiterpene lactones, which were isolated from Hemisteptia lyrata Bunge. Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich var. latilobum Kitamura and Chrysanthemum boreale Makino were evaluated for the farnesyl-protein transferase (FPTase) inhibitor, conducted by the scintillation proximity assay (SPA). The angeloylcumambrin B and tigloylcumambrin B inhibited a recombinant rat FPTase with $IC_{50}$ value of $78\;{\mu}g/ml$ $(225\;{\mu}M)$ and $90\;{\mu}g/ml$ $(260 \;{\mu}M)$, respectively.

Nine sesquiterpene lactones, which were isolated from Hemisteptia lyrata Bunge, Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich var. latilobum Kitamura and Chrysanthemum boreale Makino were evaluated for the inhibition upon the nitric oxide release from the Raw cell and for the ACAT (acyl Co A: cholesterol acyltransferase) inhibitory assay. In the nitric oxide release inhibitory experiment, hemistepsin B $(IC_{50}\;=\;0.05\;{\mu}g/ml,\;0.15\;{\mu}M),$ cumambrin B, tulipinolide and costunolide exhibited strong inhibition with $IC_{50}$ values $0.05\;{\mu}g/ml\;(0.15\;{\mu}M),\;0.1\;{\mu}g/ml\;(0.38\;{\mu}M),\;0.2\;{\mu}g/ml\;(0.69\;{\mu}M)$ and $0.2\;{\mu}g/ml(0.86\;{\mu}M),$ respectively. In the ACAT inhibitory assay, angeloylcumambrin B, tigloylcumambrin B, tulipinolide and costunolide exhibited strong inhibition with $IC_{50}$ values $33\;{\mu}g/ml\;(95.4\;{\mu}M),\;22\;{\mu}g/ml\;(63.6\;{\mu}M),\;38\;{\mu}g/ml\;(151\;{\mu}M)$ and $17\;{\mu}g/ml(73.3\;{\mu}M),$ respectively, whereas other compounds did not exhibit significant activity against ACAT above $100\; {\mu}g/ml.$.

The effects of coralyne, a protoberberine isoquinoline compound, on dopamine biosynthesis in PC12 cells were investigated. Coralyne decreased the dopamine content dose-dependently $(46.3%\;inhibition\;at\;20\;{\mu}M\;for\;24 hr).$ Dopamine content was lowered at 6 hr and reached minimal level at 24 hr after exposure to coralyne at $20\;{\mu}M.$ The decreased dopamine level was maintained up to 48 hr and recovered to the control level at about 72 hr. Tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the catecholamine biosynthesis, was also inhibited at $20\;{\mu}M\;of\;coralyne$ by 16.1% relative to control. These results suggest that the inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase by coralyne with a single treatment might be partially contributed to the decrease in dopamine content in PC12 cells.

From the ethyl acetate fraction of the methanol extract of the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten, two dihydroflavonois were isolated and identified as (+)-trans-dihydrokaempferol (1) and (+)-trans-dihydroquercetin (2) by spectroscopic methods.

Two carotenoids and four flavonoids were isolated from the whole plant of Artemisia sylvatica Max. Their structures were identified as ${\beta}-carotene$, lutein, luteolin, rutin, $pectolinarigenin-7-O-{\beta}-glucopyranoside$ and luteolin-7-O-neohesperidoside on the basis of spectroscopic means.