Antioxidant Activity of Yichun Blue Honeysuckle (YBHS) Berry Counteracts CCl₄-Induced Toxicity in Liver Injury Model of Mice.

Mian-Ying Wang,Angela Samy,Madhuwanti Srinivasan,Gnanasekar Munirathinam,Lin Peng,Parnal Narvekar,Subramanyam Dasari,Gary Anderson,Venkata Dontaraju

doi:10.3390/antiox6030050

Abstract

Yichun Blue Honeysuckle (YBHS) is reported to have a broad range of health benefits including protection against a number of chronic diseases. The objective of our study was to determine whether YBHS exhibits antioxidant activity, and if so, determine how it provides protection against oxidative stress. Eight-week old mice (25 male and 25 female) were randomized into five groups (n = 10 per group). YBHS extract (at 6.25%, 12.5%, or 25%) was administrated via intra-gastric tube to mice at 0.1 mL/10 g body weight once daily for 7 days. On the 8th day, all animals except for the controls received 250 mg/kg of CCl4 through an intra-gastric tube. The animals were sacrificed 6 h after CCl4 administration. Liver samples obtained from these mice were analyzed for the levels of Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and glutathione and the activities of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), using biochemical assay kits. Our results showed that YBHS indeed reduces lipid peroxidation, suggesting that YBHS decreases the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels. We also found that YBHS activated the endogenous antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and its co-enzyme glutathione reductase. In addition, we showed that glutathione levels were increased by YBHS treatment. Furthermore, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay revealed that YBHS has potent free radical scavenging activity. Based on the results from our study, we conclude that YBHS scavenges ROS by enhancing the activity of the endogenous antioxidant defense system activity for conferring liver protective effects.

Highlights

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen
Our results showed that Yichun Blue Honeysuckle (YBHS) increases the activity of the four antioxidant enzymes glutathione reductase (GR), and co-factors including Glutathione (GSH) and NADPH for high efficiency
Various berries have been shown to scavenge free radicals [7,8,9]. In agreement with these studies, our findings showed that YBHS has the antioxidant capacity to scavenge DPPH free radicals

Summary

Introduction

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen. ROS are formed continuously in the human body during aerobic metabolism. During the process of the electron transport chain, a small percentage of electrons are directly transferred to oxygen, the terminal electron acceptor in the series, leading to superoxide radical formation. ROS levels are maintained by the endogenous antioxidant defense system. ROS perform various useful functions such as blood pressure regulation, immune protection, and signal transduction [1].

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