천연물로부터 새로운 항산화물질을 구명하기 위하여 국내에서 생산된 약용작물 38종을 수집하여 항산화 활성물질을 탐색한 결과 가시오갈피, 구절초, 건강, 목단, 시호, 산수유, 삼백초, 산사, 유근피, 작약, 천궁, 홍화씨, 및 황금등 13종이 항산화 활성이 높은 생약재로 선발되었다. 선발된 13종의 생약재중 홍화씨에 대한 활성물질을 추적, 분리하여 NMR로 물질구조를 동정한 결과 N-feruloylserotonin이 항산화 물질이라는 것을 처음 밝혀냈다. DPPH radical소거 활성에 의한 기존 항산화제인 ${alpha}$-tocopherol, BHA 및 BHT를 N-feruloylserotonin과 항산화력를 비교한 결과 N-feruloylserotonin이 $6.6{mu}g/ml$로 활성이 가장 높은 것으로 밝혀졌다.
On the purpose of development of antioxidative compounds from natural sources, 38 plants known to have antioxidant activity have been examined concerning DPPH radical scavenging activity. Among 13 plants exhibiting the activity, the seed of Carthamus tinctorius L, was selected as resources to search for active compounds due to rareness of study. The seed of the plant has been used as edible oil or preventive and remedial drugs for osteoporosis, arthritis. To reveal the principal component manifesting the antioxidant activity, the MeOH extracts was successively solvent-fractionated with EtOAc, n-BuOH and water. In order to isolate active component from the EtOAc fractions, application of silica gel column chromatographies and activity tests were repeated for a active component to be isolated. Its chmical structure was determined to be N-feruloylserotonin, a conjugated serotonin compound, by the interpretation of spectral data, NMR. MS and the adaptation of chemical reactions.
