title: Anti-inflammatory activity of Taraxacum officinale.
abstract: Taraxacum officinale has been widely used as a folkloric medicine for the treatment of diverse diseases. The dried plant was extracted with 70% ethanol to generate its ethanol extract (TEE). For some experiments, ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol (BuOH) and aqueous (Aq) fractions were prepared in succession from TEE. TEE showed a scavenging activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, a diminishing effect on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and an anti-angiogenic activity in the chicken chorioallantoic (CAM) assay. In the carrageenan-induced air pouch model, TEE inhibited production of exudate, and significantly diminished nitric oxide (NO) and leukocyte levels in the exudate. It also possessed an inhibitory effect on acetic acid-induced vascular permeability and caused a dose-dependent inhibition on acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing in mice. Suppressive effects of TEE on the production of NO and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages were also assessed. Among the fractions, the n-butanol fraction (BuOH) was identified to be most effective in the CAM assay. Collectively, Taraxacum officinale contains anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities through its inhibition of NO production and COX-2 expression and/or its antioxidative activity.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa-dong, Yongsan-ku, Seoul 140-742, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Hyun-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyun-Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Young-Sook
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Chang-Jin
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Young-Myeong
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun-Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D049033:Chorioallantoic Membrane / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D031205:Taraxacum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D005609:Free Radicals; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009569:Nitric Oxide