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Pracparatum mungo(Lu-Do Huang) is a traditional Chinese functional medicine made from the natural fermentation of mung bean (綠豆 Lǜ Dòu) mixed with other Chinese medicines. It has been recognized as having liver protecting and detoxifying effects. As mung beans have been verified to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antipyretic, and whitening actions, the present research utilized the in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivoexperimental models to investigate the antioxidant and melanin inhibiting effects of P. mungoon the skin. The in vitroexperiment revealed that P. mungomethanol extract (PMME) and P. mungoethanol extract (PMEE) possess the capacity to clear α,α-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and inhibit tyrosinase activity. The ex vivoexperiment indicated that PMEE can promote the growth of MDCK cells and increase the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in MDCK cells. On the other hand, PMME and PMEE can suppress the proliferation of A375 cells, and PMEE can reduce the enzymatic activities of SOD and catalase in A375 cells. The in vivoresults showed that P. mungocan enhance the enzymatic performance of SOD, Catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver. The results also showed that P. mungohas antioxidant characteristics and can inhibit tyrosinase activity, thereby promoting the growth of skin tissues and suppressing the proliferation of A375 cells, and thus enhancing the effects that the antioxidant enzymatic performance has on the liver. These results can be applied in the development of tyrosinase inhibitors or antioxidants used for the inhibition of melanin biosynthesis or for auto-oxidation in further industrial applications, particularly those relating to functional food or cosmetic compositions.

Geranium oil has been used traditionally for diarrhea, dermatitis, and intestinal inflammation in East Asia. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of geranium oil's characteristic components, citronellol and geraniol, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Citronellol and geraniol suppressed NO and PGE2 production in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory efficacy of geraniol was concomitant with decreases in protein and mRNA expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), whereas citronellol inhibited only iNOS enzymatic activity. By adding citronellol and geraniol, the LPS-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly attenuated, whereas cytosolic degradation of IκBα and upregulation of NF-κB p65 in the nucleus were reversed. These results suggested that citronellol and geraniol exhibit anti-inflammatory activities, supporting their common use and demonstrating their therapeutic potential for inflammation-associated disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]