The Effect of Polyphenols Isolated from <i>Cynanchi wilfordii Radix</i> with Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Anti-bacterial Activity

The Effect of Polyphenols Isolated from <i>Cynanchi wilfordii Radix</i> with Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Anti-bacterial Activity

Recently, <i>Cynanchi wilfordii Radix</i> has gained wide use in Asian countries as a functional food effective for relieving fatigue, osteoporosis, and constipation, particularly in menopausal disorders. However, its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities have not been explored in detail to date. The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial properties of the <i>Cynanchi wilfordii Radix</i> extracts obtained with water, methanol, ethanol, and acetone were compared. All 4 polyphenol- containing extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The ethanol extract was found to elicit the most potent reduction of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), and cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α) levels, as well as inhibit the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in a concentration-dependent manner. The evaluation of antioxidant activity also revealed the ethanol extract to have the highest free radical scavenging activity, measured as 85.3±0.4%, which is equivalent to 99.9% of the activity of α-tocopherol. In the assessment of anti-bacterial activity, only ethanol extract was found to inhibit the growth of the Bacillus species Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis. These results show that polyphenols of <i>Cynanchi wilfordii Radix</i> have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial properties that can be exploited and further improved for use as a supplementary functional food, in cosmetics, and for pharmaceutical purposes.