Anti-inflammatory Activity of Arabis glabra Extracts, Poster Board #074

Arabis glabra(AG), or tower mustard, is a tall, slim, grey-green plant with small creamy flowers at the top of the stem. It usually grows on poor chalky or sandy soils, in open situations. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and it is widespread in North America where it is also probably native. It can be found in many other parts of the world as an introduced species. AG is cruciferae. Cruciferae are often used in Korean traditional systems of medicine as a remedy for bronchitis, cough, respiratory ailments, diabetics, asthma, and arthritis. Generally drugs that are used for arthritis have antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. However, validity of the anti-inflammatory activity has not been scientifically investigated so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of AG using the ethanolic extract of AG and its sub-fractions. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of AG, we examined the inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide(NO) and  prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) on RAW 264.7 cells. Our results indicated that hexane and chloroform fraction significantly inhibited the LPS-induced NO, PGE₂ production in RAW 264.7 cells. The hexane fractions inhibitory activity for NO tests with IC₅₀ values showed in 21 μg/ml. The chloroform fractions inhibitory activity for PGE₂ tests with IC₅₀ values showed in 18 μg/ml. This result revealed that hexane and chloroform fraction of AG is expected to be good candidate for development into source of anti-inflammatory agent.