Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Sasa quelpaertensis Leaf Extracts

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of inflammation (Winrow et al., 1993), which is a physiological response that protects the body from stimuli including infections and tissue injury. The magnitude of the inflammatory response is crucial, and insufficient responses result in immunodeficiency, which can lead to infection and cancer. Excessive responses cause morbidity and mortality from diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral and myocardial ischemia (Tracey, 2002). Inflammation is associated with a wide range of inflammatory mediators that initiate inflammatory responses, recruit and activate other cells to the site of inflammation, and subsequently resolve the inflammation (Gallin & Snyderman, 1999). The expression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, iNOS, and COX-2 involves nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) (Baeuerle & Baltimore, 1996; Hayden & Ghosh, 2004). Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathways are also reportedly stimulated by inflammatory mediators (Guha & Mackman, 2001).