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 . 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 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.