Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the ethyl acetate fraction of the Agastache rugosa extract

摘要

To evaluate the antioxidant activity of hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol fractions obtained from Agastache rugosa extract, we measured the total polyphenol levels, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and reducing power. The ethyl acetate fraction of A. rugosa (AREA) displayed high phenolic levels, potent DPPH radical scavenging effect, and powerful reducing power. In addition, we examined the ability of AREA to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopoly-saccharide (LPS)-activated BV-2 microglia. AREA suppressed NO production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and downregulated interIeukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA level in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia. Furthermore, we detected rosmarinic acid in AREA by HPLC, which suggested that rosmarinic acid could be one of the bioactive materials responsible for the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of AREA. These results suggested that AREA may be a good source of functional foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.