Affiliations: [a] Department of Cosmetology, Dongnam Health University, Jangan-gu, Sowon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16328, Korea | [b] Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Ewah Womans University, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Seung-Jin Lee, Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Ewah Womans University, 52 Ewahyeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea. E-mail: sjlee@ewha.ac.kr.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Plantago asiatica L. is easy to cultivate and has been used as a folk remedy since ancient times because of various pharmacological actions such as anti-inflammation and antioxidation. It also contains a variety of flavonoids such as aucubin, which is thought to be excellent for whitening, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of P. asiatica L. leaf ethanol extracts containing various active ingredients on antioxidative, anti-inflammation and whitening action and investigated its potential as a health care material. P. asiatica L. has been widely used in folk remedies. RESULTS: The cell toxicity test using RAW264.7 cells showed a high cell survival rate of over 75%, thus demonstrating the safety of the sample. In order to study the antioxidant activity of P. asiatica L. leaf ethanol extracts, we studied a sample which showed radical scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner. To observe the antioxidant activity at the cell level, RAW 264.7 cells were used and inhibition of ROS production was measured. The ROS production was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner and the scavenging activity was stronger than the sample’s own radical scavenging ability. To observe the anti-inflammatory effect of P. asiatica L. leaf ethanol extracts, inhibition of NO generation was observed using LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. NO generation was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner and was strongly inhibited by 31% at 100 μg/mL. In vitro, L-DOPA and L-tyrosine were used to inhibit tyrosinase action in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration of melanin at 1, 10, and 100 μg/mL was suppressed in B16 F10 melanin cells supplemented with α-MSH in the cells, and the inhibition was suppressed to 29% at 100 μg/mL. In the B16 F10 melanin cell stimulated with MSH, the P. asiatica L. leaf ethanol extracts inhibited melanin formation in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION:P. asiatica L. leaf ethanol extracts are expected to be developed as whitening cosmeceutical ingredients and as health care ingredients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
