Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic activities of araloside A from Aralia elata

The aim of this study was to explore the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of araloside A. Araloside A had a low antioxidant activity.The decrease of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals was only about 5.2% at 200 mM of araloside A. Additionally, the araloside A (200 mM) showed approximately 11% and 9.2% decrease in NO radical chemical scavenging activity and superoxide dismutase-like activity, respectively.The estimated oxygen radical absorbance capacity and hydroxyl radical absorbance capacity values of araloside A were approximately 119.7 mM trolox equivalent/g and 0.818 mM gallic acid equivalent/g, respectively.Based on cytotoxicity results, LPS-stimulated (Lipopolysaccharide) macrophage cells were treated with 0-500 μM of araloside A, a concentration range that did not reduce the viability of macrophage cells.Araloside A inhibited the production of NO in the macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner.In particular, the 500 mM of araloside A reduced NO production to less than the basal level of NO in macrophage cells.Araloside A showed cytotoxicity against the stomach cancer cell lines, SNU-638 and AGS.Additionally, the melanoma cell line B16-F1 was susceptible to araloside A-mediated cytotoxicity.However, the araloside A did not cause cytotoxicity in the ovary cancer cell line NIH: OVCAR-3.Taken together, our results indicated that the araloside A had the anti-inflammatory activity inhibiting NO production and anti-cancer activity against SNU, AGS cancer cells, and melanoma ovarian cancer cells, in spite of its low antioxidant activity.These results provide the fundamental information for araloside A as an agent against both inflammation and cancer.