• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.259-269
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• 2013

In this work, licorice extracts were prepared using various extraction conditions such as extraction solvent, temperature, and time from Glycyrrhiza uralensis (G. uralensis) produced in Korea and China and Glycyrrhiza glabra (G. glabra) in Uzbekistan. The optimum extraction condition was selected from the extraction yields and antioxidative activities of extracts. Korea licorice extracts showed the highest free radical (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH) scavenging activity (46.05%) under the extraction condition of 85% ethanol at $60^{\circ}C$ for 6 hours. The prominent ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavenging activity using luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay and the cellular protective effect against $^1O_2$ induced cellular membrane damage were also shown from the extracts obtained from the same condition. Especially, Korea G. uralensis extracts exhibited the higher prominent protective effect (${\tau}_{50}$ = 116.4 min) than (+)-(+)-${\alpha}$-tocopherol (${\tau}_{50}$ = 28.5 min) and the extraction yield of Korea licorice extract was 18.75%, which is 1.2 times and 2.5 times higher than that of Uzbekistan and China, respectively. These results indicate that the extraction condition of 85% ethanol at $60^{\circ}C$ for 6 hours is optimal to prepare licorice extracts, which can be applicable as anti-oxidative cosmetic materials.