Antioxidant, digestive enzyme activity, and anti-inflammatory effect of plant mixture including Scutellaria baicalensis

The objective of this study was to identify functional materials with potential benefits for digestive enzyme activity, anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidant activity. The study evaluated water extracts from Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai (PP), malt (MA), Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (ZJ), Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (LJ), Scutellaria baicalensis (SB), and various mixtures of these. These extracts were concentrated, lyophilized, and labeled as PPW, MAW, ZJW, LJW, SBW, Mix1, Mix2, Mix3, Mix4, and Mix5. Among all the samples tested, Mix3, composed of PP, MA, ZJ, LJ, and SB in a ratio of 1:1:2:1:2 (w/w), showed the most promising results. It exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity at a concentration of 1,000 μg/mL. Mix3 showed the highest total polyphenol content compared to the other mixtures. The study also assessed the anti-inflammatory effects of the extracts by measuring the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Caco-2 cells. Mix3 was found to suppress the production of both NO and TNF-α significantly. Additionally, the digestive enzyme activity of the samples was evaluated. Mix3 demonstrated superior lipase and α-amylase activities at 100 μg/mL, as well as comparable or higher trypsin activity at 500 μg/mL when compared to other extracts. These findings suggest that Mix3 enhances digestive enzyme activities and anti-inflammatory effect, making it a potential functional material for improving digestion.