Abstract
Peony seed oil (PSO) is a novel vegetable oil developed from the seeds of Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. The present study aimed to make an overall investigation on the chemical profile and antioxidant activities of PSO for reasonable development and utilization of this new resource food. Chemical analysis revealed that PSO was characterized by an uncommon high portion of α-linolenic acid (>38%), fairly low ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (0.69), and much higher content of γ-tocopherol than various conventional seed oils. In vitro assay indicated that PSO is a more potent scavenger of free radicals than extra virgin olive oil. Moderate intake of PSO exhibited obvious protection against various oxidative damages such as tetrachloromethane-induced acute liver injury in mice and diet-induced hyperlipidemia in rats. The changes in the key indicators of oxidative injury and fatty acid composition in the liver caused by PSO administration were measured, and the results demonstrated that antioxidant properties of PSO are closely related to their characteristic chemical composition. Consequently, the present study provided new evidence for the health implications of PSO, which deserves further development for medical and nutritional use against oxidative damages that are associated with various diseases.
Highlights
Herbaceous peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is a kind of traditional Chinese ornamental plant widely cultivated in China, America, Europe, and other Asian areas
The content and composition of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in plant seed oils may vary with the extraction techniques, Peony seed oil (PSO) is characterized by the dominant abundance in UFAs according to the comparison between the data for present PSO test sample prepared by traditional coldpressed method and those by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction or solvent extraction method [10]
The predominant UFAs in PSO were determined as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including n-3 are α-linolenic acid (ALA) (38.86%), n-6 linoleic acid (LA, 26.74%), and oleic acid (23.74%), suggesting a high portion of n-3 PUFAs (ALA, more than 38%) and low ratio of n-6/n-3 (0.69) in PSO
Summary
Herbaceous peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is a kind of traditional Chinese ornamental plant widely cultivated in China, America, Europe, and other Asian areas. In addition to ornamental utilization for their attractive flowers, most of peony species have been used as medicinal plants, and the studies have mainly focused on paeonol, paeoniflorin, and other bioactive components in corolla, leaf, and root bark for a long time [1,2,3]. The dry root bark of peony, named mudanpi in Chinese, has been officially recorded in all editions of Chinese pharmacopoeia (ChP) and widely used in compound traditional Chinese medicine preparations for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. During the newly past decade, this plant resource is attracting great interests for further development since peony seeds, especially the seeds’ oil, have been found rich in unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, stilbenoids, and other nutrient substances [4, 5]
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