Evaluation of Cytotoxicity on Human Cancer Cells and Antioxidant and Immune Cell Activities of Codonopsis lanceolata Root Extracts Stored at Different Temperatures and for Different Durations

Codonopsis lanceolata is widely consumed in South Korea; however, its medicinal applicationshave not been explored in detail. The present study aimed to evaluate the xanthine oxidase (XO)inhibitory activity, reducing power, immune activity, and cytotoxicity of 30% ethanolic extracts ofC. lanceolata roots stored at different temperatures (5, 15, 25, 35, and 45°C) and for differentstorage periods (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days). The growth of human T and B cells increasedwhen treated with the root extracts stored at low temperatures for a short period, in aconcentration-dependent manner. The XO inhibitory activity of the C. lanceolata roots stored at5°C and 15°C was higher than for those stored at 45°C. The XO inhibitory activity of the C. lanceolata roots gradually deceased with increasing storage period. The reducing power of theextracts increased significantly in a concentration-dependent manner. Reducing power of the rootstorage temperature for all temperatures and storage periods using 5 mg·mL-1 extract was higherthan that for the other extract concentrations. Cytotoxic activity of C. lanceolata roots on humancancer cell lines (e.g., HeLa, Calu-6, and MCF-7) decreased as storage temperatures decreased from45°C to 5°C. The cytotoxic effect on the MCF-7 cell line was relatively higher than that on the HeLaand Calu-6 cell lines. The results suggest that the root extract of C. lanceolata can be used tomodulate immune response and is also a natural food additive with excellent physiological functionality. KCI Citation Count: 0