title: Superoxide-scavenging and Tyrosinase-inhibitory Activities of the Extracts of Some Chinese Medicines.
abstract: The superoxide-scavenging and the tyrosinase-inhibitory activities of 28 kinds of plants used as Chinese medicines were evaluated. Methanol/water extracts were used for the screening tests, and for those which represented high activities, other kinds of extracts were also studied. The extracts of Mallotus japonicus Muell. Arg. scavenged superoxide strongly; the half-inhibiting concentration (IC50) of its 50% methanol/water extract was 10.57 μg of dried material in 1 ml of reaction mixture. The extracts of Fntillaria thunbergii Miq., Carthamus tinctorius L., and Prunus persica (L.) Batsch had strong tyrosinase-inhibitory activities, and the extracts of Scutellariu baicalensis Georgi represented both kinds of activities. These facts suggested that Chinese medicines may be a treasure house of chemical compounds that have the superoxide-scavenging and the tyrosinase-inhibitory activities.
authors.affiliation: a The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University , 1-1 Yanagido, Gifushi, Gifu 501-11 , Japan.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: a The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University , 1-1 Yanagido, Gifushi, Gifu 501-11 , Japan.|b Division of Bio-organic Chemistry, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture , Shinshu University , 8304 Minamiminowamura, Kamiinagun, Nagano 399-45 , Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kayahara
authors.affiliation: a The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University , 1-1 Yanagido, Gifushi, Gifu 501-11 , Japan.|b Division of Bio-organic Chemistry, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture , Shinshu University , 8304 Minamiminowamura, Kamiinagun, Nagano 399-45 , Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tadasa
keywords: Chinese medicine; superoxide-scavenging activity; tyrosinase-inhibitory activity