• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.19 no.3 s.31
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• pp.34-54
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• 2006

The effects of four extracts of medicinal herbs, Rubus coreanum, Acorus calamus, Morus alba and Rehmannia glutinosa on hair growth activity and acnes control were investigated. In the course of screening natural extracts for hair growth, we found that the extract of dried root of Rubus coreanum has the hair growth promoting effect. After topical application of these extracts to the back of C57BL/6 mice, the earlier conversion of telogen-to-anagen phase was induced. The growth of dermal papilla cells and mouse vibrissae hair follicle cultured in vitro, however, was not affected by treatment of these extracts. Furthermore these extracts do not possesspotent inhibitory effect on $5{\alpha}-reductase$ I and II activity and anti-bacterial effect on Escherichia coli , Propionibacterium acnes, Pityrosporum ovale, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidemidis, and Candida albicans. RT-PCR analysis showed that these extracts did notinduce mRNA levels of growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor-I, keratinocyte growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in dermal papilla cells. These results suggest that Rubus coreanum has hair growth promoting effect. However, the effects of these materials on the hair growth promotion are not mediated through inhibition of $5{\alpha}-reductase$ I and II activity, stimulation of hair follicle cells and expression of growth factors in the dermal papilla cells.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 1997

Protein Kinase C (PKC) is generally believed to play a central role in signal transduction, cellular growth control, gene expression, and tumor promotion. And it has been suggested that inhibitors of PKC might play important roles for the prevention and treatment of cancer. In order to investigate the possible inhibitors of PKC from natural products, PKC receptor binding assay was performed using bovine brain particulate as a source of PKC and the amount of $[^3H]Phorbol$ 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) bound to PKC was measured in the presence of test materials. Total methanol extracts from 100 kinds of natural products were partitioned into 3 fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous layer) and their binding ability to the regulatory domain of PKC was evaluated. The ethyl acetate fractions of Morus alba $(roots,\;IC_{50}:\;156.6\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Rehmannia glutinosa $(roots,\;IC_{50}:\;134.3\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Lysimachia foenum-graecum $(roots,\;IC_{50}:\;167.8\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Polygonum cuspidata $(roots,\;IC_{50}:\;157.3\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Cnidium officinale $(aerial\;parts,\;IC_{50}:\;145.2\;{\mu}g/ml)$, and the hexane $(IC_{50}:\;179.3\;{\mu}g/ml)$ and the EtOAc fraction of Symplocarpus nipponicus $(roots,\;IC_{50}:\;155.9\;{\mu}g/ml)$ showed inhibitory activity of $[^3H]PDBu$ binding to PKC.