Camellia Petal Extracts and Genotypic Variations in Antioxidant Activity

Abstract

Purpose: The current research reports antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities of petal extracts from differently colored Camellia ecotypes. Methods: Five Camellia japonica ecotypes were chosen for petal extract. Total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined. For radical scavenging activities, DPPH andUWLC analysis were conducted. Results: For total phenolic compounds, five ecotypes showed the ranges of 4.8mg of GAE (gallic acid equivalent) perg dry weight (DW) to 19.6mg of GAE for white and pinkish petals, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the petal extracts (represented in IC50)was highest (3.8 g·mL1) for the pinkish ecotype and lowest (43.1 g·mL-1) for the white ecotype when compared to the IC50 value for ascorbic acid (13.6 g·mL-1) as a positive control. The results demonstrate that the efficient DPPH radical scavenging activity of the pinkish ecotype was partly attributed to higher phenolic compounds. Activities of two antioxidant enzymes, catalase and peroxidase, were different among the ecotypes, indicating the presence of ecotype-specific detoxifying processes. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the potential use of the Camellia petals as an antioxidant resource, but there was a genotypic difference in total amount and antioxidant activities, indicating that more broad screening of the genotypes is necessary. Contact: Geung-Joo Lee, gjlee@cnu.ac.kr