Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Stem Bark Extracts from Ulmus davidiana var. japonica

ABSTRACT Ulmus davidiana var. japonica is a deciduous tree used in traditional medicine. In this study, we exam-ined the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of extracts and compounds isolated from U. davidiana var. japonica stem barks for development of cosmetic phyto-materials. Phytochemical examination of the stem bark led to the isolation and characterization of three known compounds, (+)-catechin (1), (+)-cat-echin-7-O-β-D-apiofuranoside (2), and procyanidin B3 ((+)-catechin-(4α→8)-(+)-catechin) (3). Their bio-activities including antioxidant (DPPH ree radical scavenging assay) activity, anti-inflammatory (nitric ox-ide inhibition assay) were evaluated. Most of the crude extracts and isolates indicated significant anti-oxidant potential compared with BHT and α-tocopherol as controls. Futhermore, all compounds showed higher inhibitory activities for NO production in Raw 264.7 cells than the L-NMMA using the positive control. Eespecially, (+)-catechin (1) and (+)-catechin-7-O-β-D-apiofuranoside (2) which could inhibit more than 90% of the NO production at a concentration of 100 µg/㎖, implying excellent anti-in-flammatory activity. Keywords : antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, (+)-catechin derivatives, Ulmus davidiana var. japonica