• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.165-170
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• 2007

Pyungwi-san(PWS) have been using as a basic prescription of digestive disorder in Korean traditional medicine. This study was performed to examine the in vitro antioxidant activity of the extract using different antioxidant tests including by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, metal chelating hydrogen peroxide scavenging, lipid peroxydation protective effect and scavenging effect of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite. Herbal-acupuncture solution of PWS(PWS-HS) exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of DPPH radical adduct formation and it showed dose-dependent free radical scavenging activity onto superoxide anions. In addition, the result of metal chelating hydrogen peroxide scavenging and ammonium thiocyanate experiments showed that PWS-HS was an active scavenger of hydroxyl radicals. Furthermore, it was also found to be effective in scavenging nitric oxide and peroxynitrite, well-known cytotoxic species that can oxidize several cellular components such as proteins, lipids and DNA.