Anti-Acne Vulgaris Effects of Pedunculagin from the Leaves of Quercus mongolica by Anti-Inflammatory Activity and 5α-Reductase Inhibition.

Quercus mongolica (QM)-a member of the Fagaceae family-has been used as traditional medicine in Korea, China and Mongolia as a treatment for inflammation of oral, genital or anal mucosa and for external inflammation of skin. To treat acne vulgaris (AV), we evaluated the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8) of QM leaf extract (QML) and its main compound, pedunculagin (PD) in vitro and 5α-reductase inhibitory activity by western blotting. As results, QML and PD showed potent NO production inhibitory activity compared with the positive control (PC), NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). QML and PD was also showed the decreases of IL-6 and IL-8 compared with the PC, EGCG and exhibited potent 5α-reductase type 1 inhibitory activities compared with the PC, dutasteride.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Phenolic Compounds Isolated from Quercus Mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. on UVB-Irradiated Human Skin Cells.

Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. (QM) has been used as an oriental traditional medicine to relieve hemorrhoids, fever, and enteritis. We screened the inhibitory activities of the extracts and compounds (1-6) isolated from QM on the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines to evaluate their anti-inflammatory activities. Further, we evaluated the expression levels of cytokines, chemokines, and immune factors on pedunculagin (PC, 1), which was selected from isolated compounds (1-6) because of its potential anti-inflammation effect. Additionally, we evaluated whether the inflammation mitigation effects of PC (1) following UVB exposure in keratinocytes occurred because of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)/Janus kinase (JAK) activation. PC (1) remarkably suppressed interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-13, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA expression and reduced the mRNA expression level of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and also reduced the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in a concentration-dependent manner.

Anti-skin ageing effects of phenolic compounds from Carpinus tschonoskii.

Carpinus tschonoskii (CT) is distributed through in southern regions of South Korea. Six known compounds, including three ellagitannins, one gallotannin, and two flavonoids were isolated from CT. In conclusion, the tannins, especially ellagitannins, and CT extract showed potent anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-skin ageing activities.

Anti-Obesity Activities of Chikusetsusaponin IVa and Dolichos lablab L. Seeds.

Obesity, a condition where excess body fat accumulates to the extent, causes a negative effect on health. Previously, we reported the extract of Dolichos lablab L. (DLL-Ex) inhibited high-fat diet (HFD)-induced increases in body weight and body fat mass and ameliorated increases in body weight. In the present work, we studyed the molecular mechanism for the inhibitory effect of DLL-Ex or Chikusetsusaponin IVa (CS-IVa), as isolated from Dolichos lablab L. (DLL) seeds extract, on adipocyte differentiation. We evaluated the effect of DLL-Ex, an anti-obesity agent, and CS-IVa, an active component of DLL-Ex, on 3T3-L1 cell differentiation via Oil red O assay and Q-PCR, along with their effects on CCAAT element binding protein alpha (C/EBPα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) mRNA transcriptions. FAS and FABP4 protein expression levels after exposure to CS-IVa were also tested. The results showed that DLL-Ex and CS-IVa have potent inhibitory activity on adipocyte differentiation. Therefore, DLL and CS-IVa may be developed as a functional food material to treat obesity.