Investigating some biological activities of ethanolic extract from Chloranthus japonicus Sieb. leaves
Abstract
Chloranthus japonicus Sieb. is a perennial herb which can be found in northern Vietnam mountains and also in some southern areas such as Lam Dong, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai. According to our surveys, C. japonicus Sieb. leaves were traditionally used by K’Ho people in Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park for the treatment of insect bites and skin burns. In this study, we found that the 70% ethanol extract of C. japonicus leaves contained 59.93 ± 9.66 mgGAE/gE (poly)phenol and 457.39 ± 7.93 mgQE/gE flavonoid; and exhibited a strong antioxidant activity with the IC50 value of 14.87 ± 0.31 µg/ml. We also demonstrated that this extract at low concentrations (7.8125 - 31.25 µg/ml) could improve the proliferation of the mouse fibroblast NIH-3T3 cell line. However, at these concentrations, the extract did not show any inhibitory effect on the growth of some opportunistic pathogens, including S. aureus, P. aerugionsa, E. faecalis, and E. coli; and in vitro immunomodulatory effect on LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 model. These findings suggested that the C. japonicus leaf extract might have a possitive effect on wound healing at low concentrations, but this potential effect seems to come from its high (poly)phenol and flavonoid contents, high antioxidant activity rather than the antimirobial and anti-imflammatory capactities.
