An Experimental Study of the Anti-oxidant and the Anti-inflammatory Effects of Alum and Burnt Alum

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Alum (AL) and Burnt Alum (BAL), which are commonly used as external ointments. METHODS: Extracts of AL and BAL were classified into three groups: 20, 50, and 100 ㎎/㎕. The cytotoxicity was measured by using MTT assays in human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). The anti-oxidant effect was measured by using the DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) radical scavenger. The anti-inflammatory effect was measured by using the inhibitory efficacy for the amount of nitric-oxide (NO) produced in mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). RESULTS: BAL showed a higher level of cytotoxicity than AL. The AL groups showed a concentration-dependent scavenging effect on DPPH radicals, but no significant relevance was found. The BAL groups showed a concentration-dependent scavenging effect on DPPH radicals. The scavenging effects of the BAL groups were almost insignificant, but the values for the 20, 50, and 100 ㎍/㎖ trials were different. The BAL groups showed significant concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on NO production, but the AL groups did not. CONCLUSIONS: AL showed an anti-oxidant effect more efficiently than BAL did, which demonstrated a superior anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, for external usage, AL must be distinguished from BAL.