Comparison of Chemical Compositions and Biological Activities between Two Varieties of Codonopsis lanceolata

The roots of Codonopsis lanceolata, well-known for their medicinal value, are normally used as herbal and tonic drug in Korea. The present study investigated the chemical composition and bioactivity of two varieties of Codonopsis lanceolata collected from Ulleung-do (UC) and Jeju-do (JC) regions of Korea, and also the relationship between the nutritive components of each variety was established. Protein content varied from 2.37% in UC to 2.88% in JC. Carbohydrate, protein, fat and ash contents were higher in JC variety than UC and the carbohydrate content was higher to other chemical constituents. In addition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of water and ethanol extractions from two varieties of Codonopsis lanceolata were indirectly detected. Ethanol extraction from JC showed better activity than UC through 1,1-diphenyl-2-pricylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay (IC50=337.09 +/- 3.81 mu g.mL(-1)), measurement of nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells and anti-proliferation activity in human colon cancer cells (HT-29). It was concluded that C. lanceolata collected from Jeju-do exhibited beneficial nutritional components and significant bioactivities than that collected from Ulleung-do.