This study was carried out to obtain the basic information that can be used to index rhubarbs in six regions of China and Korea. The anthraquinone and stilbene contest in various rhubarb produced in th different area were quantitatively analysed by HPLC. The average of sennoside A content of the Chinghai rhubarb was higher than that of the other palmata rhubarbs(high-quality rhubarbs) produced in China. As a result, the order of the sennoside A content was 1) Chinghai rhubarb, 2) Tsuchan rhubarb, 3)Kansu rhubarb 4) Neimenggu rhubarb. On the other hand, the total stilbenes content of each of the cultivated Korean rhubarb(Rheum undulatum) were higher than that of the Chinese rhapontica rhubarb(low-quality rhubarbs).

To develop safe and new anticoagulation agents from natural resources, the inhibitory activities of 291 methanol extracts, which were prepared from different parts of 197 medicinal and wild plants, against human thrombin were evaluated. Based in anti-coagulation activity determined by thrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time, the extract of leaf of Myrica rubra was finally selected. The extract of M. rubra showed a strong thrombin inhibitory activity (above 1,819%) at 0.5 mg/ml as a final concentration, whereas aspirin showed 337% inhibition at concentration of 1.5 mg/ml. The activity of the extract remained more than 85% and 60% by heat treatment at $100^{\circ}C$ for 30min, and acid treatment at pH 2 for 60 min, respectively. Our results suggested that the extract of Myrica rubra could be the potential source as thrombin inhibitor.

In mammalian melanocytes, melanin synthesis is controlled by tyrosinase, the key enzyme in the pigment synthesis. In this study, to develop a new whitening agent, we have investigated the antioxidant and the inhibitory effect of Artemisia anomala extract on tyrosinase activity and melanigenesis in the B16/F1 melanoma cells. The inhibition ratio of tyrosinase activity of butanol fraction from A. anomala was higher than that of arbutin ($97.5{\pm}0.5%$ at the concentration of 2 mg/ml). The butanol fraction was shown scavenging activities of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and superoxide anion radicals in a dose dependent manner. The highest inhibitory activity of melanogenesis was also butanol fraction ($25.0{\pm}3%$ at the concentration of $200\;{\mu}g/ml$). From these results, we suggest that the A. anomala extract might be used to be a potential agent for skin whitening.

'Hwan So Dan(還少丹)' is Chinese patent medicine which has been used for shortage of vitality and asthenia in Korea. It consists of 14 kinds of powdered crude drugs. In powdered crude drugs, it is hard to identify each component by chemical analysis or morphological examination. However, the method of identification of powdered crude drugs has not been clearly established. For the identification of individual crude drugs in such powdery mixtures, microscopic method may advantageously be used as it requires only a small amount specimens. In this study, it is demonstrated that the microscopic method is very effective for the identification of 14 crude drug ingredients in Hwan So Dan.

The MeOH extract of the the leaves of Salix hallaisanensis (Salicaceae) was partitioned successively with $CHCl_3$, 20% MeOH, 40% MeOH and 60% MeOH solution. From the fractions obtained, 9 compounds were isolated, $diosmetin-7-O-{\beta}-d-glucoside$ (I), $diosmetin-7-O-{\beta}-D-glucosyl-(1{\rightarrow)6)-{\beta}-d-glucoside$ (II), $diosmetin-7-O-{\beta}-d-xylosyl-(1{\rightarrow}6)-{\beta}-D-glucoside$ (III), $quercetin-3-O-{\beta}-d-galactoside$ (hyperoside) (IV), $quercetin-3-O-{\alpha}-l-rhamnosyl-(1{\rightarrow}6)-{\beta}-D-glucoside(rutin)$ (V), luteolin (VI), $luteolin-7-O-{\beta}-d-glucoside$ (VII), $kaempferol-3-O-{\alpha}-l-rhamnosyl-(1{\rightarrow}6)-{\beta}-D-glucoside$ (VIII), and (+)-catechin (IX).

Anti-hyperglycemic effects of 17 medicinal plants that have been used for ameliorating diabetes in oriental medicine were evaluated using glucose transport assay in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Higher activities were obtained by treating water or alcohol extract of Phellodendri Cortex (PC), which showed enhancing effects both on basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. The latter effect of PC was completely inhibited by wortmannin, a specific inhibitor for phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), but not affected by SB203580, A specific inhibitor for p38 mitogen-activatedprotein kinase(MAPK). Genistein, an inhibitor for tyrosine kinases, abolished the PC effects completely. Treatment of vanadate, an inhibitor for tyrosine phosphatases, together with PC showed no significant synergic enhancement in glucose uptake. The results of inhibitors associated with insulin signaling pathway indicated that extracts of PC enhance glucose uptake by PI-3 kinase activation which is an upstream event for GLUT4 translocation. Antidiabetic effects of PC extract might be also due to enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation and reduced tyrosine dephosphorylation. In addition, PC accelerated insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in insulin-resistant cells, recovering the uptake level close to that of normal cells. These findings may offer a new way to utilize extracts of PC as novel anti-hyperglycemic agents.

This study examined the antinociceptive properties of GCSB-5, a herbal formulation consisting of 6 Oriental herbs (Ledebouriellae Radix, Achyranthis Radix, Acanthopanacis Cortex, Cibotii Rhizoma, Glycine Semen, and Eucommiae Cortex) that are used in traditional medicine to treat various bone disorders, mainly of which involve analgesic processes. Peripheral and central analgesic models were established in experimental animals in order to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of the agent. GCSB-5 significantly inhibited the number of acetic-induced writhing (33.3%-34.3% inhibition at 100-600 mg/kg) but increased the pain threshold (38.0% increase at 300 mg/kg) in the Randall-Selitto test. However, GCSB-5 had no effect on the hot plate-induced nociception and hyperalgesia from the tail-pinch method. These results suggest that the antinociceptive effect of GCSB-5 may be mediated via peripheral mechanisms.

Sarcodon aspratus (Thelepholaceae), a native mushroom, is distributed in Korea and Japan, and has been widely used in traditional food and fork medicines. To confirm the biological activities of Sarcodon aspratus, the liver protecting activity, anti-clotting activity, and anti-complementary activity of the water extract, EtOH extract, and the water soluble proteoglycan part of S. aspratus were investigated. The EtOH, and water extract of S. aspratus decreased the GOT and GPT releases induced by $CCl_4$ in a dose-dependant manner. On the other hand, the water soluble proteoglycan part of S. aspratus showed weak inhibitory activity. In addition, the EtOH and water extract of S. aspratus prevented $CCl_4-induced$ hepatotoxicity, as described by a liver histopathologic study. To confirm the anti-clotting activity, the APTT and PT assay were carried out. As a result, only the crude proteoglycan part of S. aspratus showed the anti-coagulating activity, and this result might be due to the inhibition of intrinsic clotting system. Also, the crude proteoglycan part of S. aspratus showed the anti-complementary activity, and the $IC_{50}$ value was $50\;{\mu}l/ml$.

GCSB-5 is a purified extract from a mixture of 6 Oriental herbs (Ledebouriellae Radix, Achyranthis Radix, Acanthopanacis Cortex, Cibotii Rhizoma, Glycine Semen, and Eucommiae Cortex) that have been widely used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in the East Asia. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of GCSB-5. The animals used in this study were administered either vehicle or GCSB-5 (30, 100, 300, and 600 mg/kg) orally. The GCSB-5 significantly inhibited the increased of acetic acid-induced vascular permeability (30.9%-34.2% inhibition at 30-300 mg/kg). The swelling of the rat's hind paw induced by carrageenan was significantly inhibited by GCSB-5 in doses of 100, 300, and 600 mg/kg. Maximal inhibition (50.9%) was obtained with GCSB-5 at dose of 300 mg/kg. However, it did not have any anti-inflammatory action in the rheumatoid arthritis induced by Freund's complete adjuvant or in the granuloma induced by carrageenan. Our finding suggest that GCSB-5 has a anti-inflammatory activity.

The leaves (KPL) of Kalopanax pictus (KP) are used as a vegetable or a functional food in Korean society. The stem bark (Kalopanacis Cortex, KPS) has been traditionally used to treat neurotic pain, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic disease. This research was undertaken to demonstrate that the leaf extract of KP (KPL) has also the antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effects like the extract (KPS) of Kalopanacis Cortex and to compare the activity levels of several extracts obtained from KP. Antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effects were measured against the extracts described as followings; KPL-1 (the MeOH extract obtained from the leaf shoot of KP collected on May), KPL-2 (the MeOH extract from KP collected on June), KPL-3 (the MeOH ectract from KP with no thorns), KPS-1 (MeOH extract from KPS of a Korean habitat), KPS-2 (MeOH extract from KPS of a Chinese habitat). The antimociceptive test undertaken by acetic acid-induced writhing, hot plate-, and tail-flick methods using mice. The anti-inflammatory test was also undertaken by measuring the edema in the carrageenan-induced test. The order of activity potency in the antinociceptive and antiinflammatory assays was commonly shown as followings: KPL-3>KPS>1>KPS-2>KPL-1>KPL-2. This order was also observed in acetic acid-induced vascular permeability test. The antiinflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced assay was also observed as the following order: KPL-3>KPS- 1>PS-2>KPL-1>KPL-2. In addition, adjuvant-induced rats were used for a model to assess the oxidative stress. Treatment of the rat with the extracts reduced serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), hydroxy radical(OH) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity caused by FCA together together with the inhibition of hepatic TBARS level and lipofuscin content. The above finding suggests that the leaf extract has the antinociceptive and antinflammatory activity. It is also suggested that KPL-3 with more potent activity than other tested extracts could be developed for a new available biomaterial.

The roots of Rosa rugosa have been used to treat diabetes mellitus in the folkloric society of Korea. To demonstrate the active component for the rat obesity induced by high fat diet for 6 weeks, the phytochemical fractionation and the pharmacological activity test were performed on this crude drug. It was shown that the methanolic extract and its EtOAc fraction inhibited the weight increase of the rat body, abdominal fat pad and hyperlipidemia at 200 mg/kg dose. Further, the triterpenoids, euscaphic acid and tormentic acid, isolated from R. rugosa roots were active at 30 mg/kg in the same assay. The two components shifted serum total-, HDL, and LDL-cholesterol levels toward the values of the unteated group, suggesting that the active compounds has hypolipidemic effects. The rats fad euscaphic acid and tormentic acid also reduced thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) and hydroxyl radical in the rat blood and increased superoxide dismutase activity compared to the control. TBARS values and carbonyl contest of the hepatic protein were reduced by treatment with the two triterpenoids. Antioxidative enzyme (SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase) activities in hepatic were increased by treatment of rats with the triterpenoids, which suggests that triterpenoids inhibited the reduction of hepatic antioxidative activity caused by high fat diet. Taken together, these results support that euscaphic acid and tormentic acid improve a high fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia via the activation of antioxidative mechanism.

We here demonstrate the evidence of increased anti-tumor and immunostimulating activities of crude extracts (GAL) from Galium. aparine L. In experimental lung metastasis of colon26-M3.1 carcinoma or B16-BL6 melanoma cells, prophylactically intravenous (i.v) administration of GAL significantly inhibited lung metastasis in a dose-dependant manner. In an in vitro cytotoxicity analysis, GAL at the concentration up to $500\;{\mu}g/ml$ did not affect the growth of B16-BL6 melanoma cells. In contrast, GAL showed the enhancement of splenocyte proliferating activity in a dose-dependent manner. Peritoneal macrophages stimulated with GAL produced various cytokines such as $1L-1{\beta},\;TNF-{\alpha},\;IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-12. These data suggest that GAL has an antitumor activity to inhibit tumor metastasis, and its antitumor effects is associated with activation of nonspecific immnune related cells.

Inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}\;(TNF-{\alpha}),\;interferon-{\gamma}\;(IFN-{\gamma})$ and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are thought to play major roles in joint diseases such as a rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and there is considerable evidence playing a role for these cytokines in osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, we have studied the effects on anti-inflammation and analgesic by ethyl acetate fraction from 70% ethanol extract of Artemisia capillaries (EAC). As a positive control, apigenin, which is known as an anti-inflammatory agent as an iNOS inhibitor, was used and showed the dose-dependent inhibitory effect. EAC showed strong inhibitory efficacy against cytokine-induced proteoglycan degradation, $PGE_2$ production, nitric oxide (NO) production, and matrix-matalloproteinases (MMPs) expression in rabbit articular chondrocyte. In the writhing test induced by acetic acid, EAC $(200{\sim}400\;mg/kg)$ exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of writhing. The results indicate that EAC have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, and could be a good herbal medicine candidate for curing of RA and/or OA.