Systematic analyses of Japanese Kampo drugs

Herbal drugs from medicinal plants consist of many constituents which is difficult to isolate and identify the pharmacologically active constituents in the herbal drugs. We established a standard protocol to fractionate the herbal extracts of medicinal plants by hydrophobicity into crude fractions to estimate the pharmacological activity. We have been analyzed anti-inflammatory effects of herbal extracts and their constituents on the induction of nitric oxide, which is an inflammatory mediator-induced by interleukin 1β in the rat hepatocytes. When chemical and spectral analyses are performed, active constituents in herbal extracts can be identified. Our systematic approachment using the hepatocytes have been successfully applied to investigate many traditional Japanese herbal drugs (Kampo drugs). Traditional Indonesian herbal drugs (Jamu) may be also analyzed. This approachment may elucidate the mechanisms of action of these drugs and lead to understanding of the pathophysiology of various diseases.