This technology provides pharmaceutical and food compositions for the prevention and improvement of osteoarthritis, using leaf extract from Quercus serrata, a native Korean oak species, as an active ingredient. A compound derived from the extract, represented by Formula 5, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects while simultaneously inhibiting cartilage degradation.
Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease characterized by the degeneration and loss of articular cartilage. It affects more than one in four adults over 50 in Korea, and the number of patients continues to rise due to aging and increasing obesity. As there is no definitive cure, patients have relied primarily on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, long-term use can cause side effects in the digestive and blood coagulation systems, creating a need for safer therapeutic materials.
This technology extracts Quercus serrata leaves using water, C1-C4 alcohols, ethyl acetate, chloroform, hexane, or mixtures thereof. The extract shows low cytotoxicity, scavenges DPPH radicals, and inhibits NO production. It also reduces the activity of inflammasome proteins such as NLRP3, caspase-1, and ASC, and inhibits collagenase activity that degrades cartilage matrix. Applicable as a candidate for natural degenerative arthritis drugs, health functional foods for middle-aged joint health, and ingredients for pet joint supplements, it utilizes leaves from common native trees to manage inflammation and cartilage damage while reducing the burden of long-term NSAID use.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of osteoarthritis treatment materials using native Korean plants with inflammasome-regulating activity.
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