• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.437-442
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• 2015

In a continuing screening of selected medicinal plants native to South Korea, the antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of an aqueous methanolic extract from the heartwood of Aquilaria agallocha were investigated. Eighty percent of the methanolic extract of A. agallocha was further divided into $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc and n-BuOH in order to yield four solvent-soluble portions, namely $CH_2Cl_2$-soluble, EtOAc-soluble, n-BuOH-soluble and $H_2O$ residue. The antioxidant properties were evaluated by employing radical scavenging assays using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) ($ABTS^+$) radicals, while the anti-obesity efficacy of A. agallocha extracts and solvent-soluble portions were tested by porcine pancreatic lipase assay. All tested samples showed dose-dependent radical scavenging and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. Among the tested extracts and solvent-soluble portions, the $CH_2Cl_2$-soluble portion showed much higher radical scavenging activity and pancreatic lipase inhibitory properties when compared with other solvent-soluble portions. This result suggested that there was a significant relationship between the total phenolic content and biological efficacies, and A. agallocha extract might be considered as a new potential source of natural antioxidants and as a pancreatic lipase inhibitory source. A more systematic investigation of this biomass will be performed for further investigation of activity against antioxidative and anti-obesity effects.