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The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine 2009;30(1): 64-73. |
| The Screening of Fermented Medicinal Herbs to Identify Those with
Anti-inflammatory Properties |
| Feng-yan Shen1, Je-hyeon Ra2, Jin-ju Kim1, Sung-ki Jung1 |
1Division of Allergy, Immune & Respiratory System, Dept. of Internal Medicine College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung-hee University
2Dept. of Oriental Physiology, College of Pharmacy, Kyung-hee University |
| Correspondence |
Sung-ki Jung ,Tel: 02-958-9147, Fax: 02-958-9148, Email: jskes@unitel.co.kr
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Published online: March 30, 2009. |
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| ABSTRACT |
Objectives:
Consumption of fermented foods has been known to alleviate some of the symptoms of atopy and may limit allergy development, while there are also many medicinal herbs proved to be effective for immunologically-mediated diseases. In this study, we introduced modern zymology to ferment some herbs to see if fermentation has the possibility of increasing the anti-inflammatory effects of medicinal herbs. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) have been demonstrated to be the main factors in the pathology of allergic diseases.
Methods :
We measured the levels of IL-4 and INF-γ on concanavalin A-inducedBALB/c mice spleen cells, which were subsequently treated with fermented and unfermented herbs. We then compared the fermented groups with unfermented groups to see if the anti-inflammatory effects of the herbs were influenced by fermentation.
Results and Conclusions :
Our results showed that fermentation had the potential to increase the anti-inflammatory effects of some medicinal herbs, and Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza would be the most suitable medicinal herbs for fermentation among the herbs in this study. |
| Key words:
Fermentation, Medicinal herb, Anti-inflammation, IL-4, INF-γ |
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