• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.162-168
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• 2015

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) seed is widely used as a traditional medicine in countries of Asia. Among many functions of the lotus seed, one interesting activity is its skin protection from the sunlight and scar. In this study, we focused on the skin protective property of lotus seed tea against ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. Two groups of a hairless mouse model, water as control (water group) and lotus seed tea (LST group), were administrated a fluid drink water for six months. After 6 month of administration, UVB exposure was carried out to both groups for another 3 months. During and after the administration, the skin moisture content and the morphological and histopathological analyses through biopsy were carried out. Prior to UVB irradiation, no significant difference was discovered in the skin moisture content for the water group and LST group (P<0.05). However, drastic changes were observed after the UVB treatment. The LST group showed a clear evidence of skin protection compared to the control group (P<0.05). The moisture content, epidermal and horny layer thickness, and protein carbonyl values all revealed that the intake of the lotus seed tea enhanced protection against UVB exposure. As a result, the long-term intake of the lotus seed tea showed the effect of preventing loss of skin moisture, mitigating the formation of abnormal keratinocytes, and contributing to protein oxidation inhibition.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.666-674
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• 2020

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is an economically important aquatic ornamental herb with multiple uses, including food, tea, natural pigments, and/or healthcare product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential of lotus sprouts grown in three media: sprouting machine (LSSG), soil (LSSC), and mud (LSMC). The longest sprout was obtained in LSMC (4.79 and 26.79 cm) followed by LSSC (1.95 and 5.4 cm), and LSSG (0.60 and 2.85 cm) at 5 and 10 days, respectively. Higher amounts of total free amino acids were found in cotyledons (33.96, 21.45, and 38.90 mg/g) than in hypocotyls (15.77, 7.90, and 15.29 mg/g ) for LSSG, LSSC, and LSMC, respectively. The ratios of total essential to total non-essential amino acids were higher in hypocotyls (0.36, 0.31, and 0.46) than in cotyledons (0.34, 0.25, and 0.40), respectively. Similarly, the total polyphenol content of the hypocotyl of LSMC (50.33 ㎍ GAE/g) was the highest and that of the husk of LSSG (24.08 ㎍ GAE/g) was the lowest. Overall, the antioxidant potential of hypocotyl was higher than that of husk and cotyledon. The results indicated that the lotus sprouts grown in mud could be a good source of nutritional and natural antioxidants.