Comparison of anti-inflammatory activity of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn, Angelica decursiva Franchet et Savatier and Anthriscus sylvestris Hoff

Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn (PP), Angelica decursiva Franchet et Savatier (AD) and Anthriscus sylvestris Hoff (AS) belong to the family Umbelliferae and are widely distributed in Korea, Japan, and China. The roots of PP and AD is known as a famous traditional Korean medicine (Jeonho) can be used to cure some diseases such as cough due to pathogenic wind-heat, accumulation of phlegm, heat in the lung, bronchial disorders and bronchitis. The roots of AS which has different effect compared to PP and AD but is also used together with PP and AD in Korea. However, their efficacy on inflammation is not clear. In this study, we estimated their anti-inflammatory effect and we compared their constituent by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For the determination of anti-inflammatory effects, we investigated Nitrite oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) production by ELISA. The expressions of inducible nitrite oxide (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were determined by western blotting in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) – induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Methanol extracts of PP and AD (25µg/ml) decreased NO and PGE₂ production. The expressions of iNOS and COX-2 protein were also decreased in methanol extracts of PP and AD (25µg/ml). AD found to be more potent than the other extracts. The above study therefore indicates that AD might represent new therapeutic options for treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Second Stage of Brain Korea 21 project in 2008, Oriental Medical Science Center.

References: 1. Liu, R. et al. (2004) Journal of Chromatography A 1057: 89–94.