Abstract
Antioxidant activities of W and E extracts obtained from dried boxthorn (Lycium chinensis) fruit were measured based on DPPH radical scavenging and reducing powers, and their relationships with total phenolics, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity were investigated. A linear correlation among antioxidant activity, total phenolics, and flavonoid content was observed in concentration-dependent mode. Both extracts showed > 95% DPPH radical-scavenging activity and the higher reducing power of 3200 ppm at the same concentration. The antioxidant potential of both extracts were compared with those of commercial antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, TBHQ, ferulic acid, and α-tocopherol using H2O2 scavenging activity, inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation, inhibition of hemolysis of rat erythrocyte induced by peroxyl radicals, and inhibition of Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation using rat brain tissue. In the H2O2 scavenging activity, E extract showed a comparable significant antioxidant power, comparable to commercial antioxidants, and no signifi-cant difference (P > 0.05) was found between W and E extracts on inhibition of the linoleic acid peroxidation. Whereas W extract exhibited a significant power in the hemolysis of rat erythrocytes, none was observed in E extract. In the Fe-induced lipid peroxidation using rat brain tissue, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found between both ex-tracts, showing a comparable activity with those of synthetic antioxidants. Both W and E extracts of dried boxthorn (Lycium chinensis) fruit may have a potential as natural antioxidants to replace synthetic antioxidants.
Highlights
Current interest in many traditional medicinal plants and their related health-promoting products, as a source of natural and nutritional antioxidants, is due to the increasing findings on the role of antioxidants and free radicals in human health and diseases [1,2]
The excess of free radicals and reactive oxygen species have been proposed to induce cellular oxidative damage, which results in a variety of chronic diseases such as cancer, arteriosclerosis, inflammatory disorders as well as aging process [34,35]
The traditional medicinal-based plants or herbs provide us with many kinds of antioxidants as well as health-promoting nutraceuticals, which scavenge free radicals and reactive oxygen species, resulting in treatment of various chronic diseases and protection against oxidative rancidity of foods
Summary
Current interest in many traditional medicinal plants and their related health-promoting products, as a source of natural and nutritional antioxidants, is due to the increasing findings on the role of antioxidants and free radicals in human health and diseases [1,2]. Dietary intake of traditional medicinal plant-based foods is believed to reduce oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), which has been implicated as a major cause of cellular injuries in a variety of clinical abnormalities including cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, arthritis, degenerative disease, and thought acceleration of the aging process [3]. ROS denote various forms of activated oxygen, which include free radicals such as hydroxyl radicals (OH·), superoxide anion radicals O 2 , and non free-radical species such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and singlet oxygen (1O2) [4,5]. ROS including H2O2 play a role as endogenous oxidants in living organisms, which induce oxidative damage to biomolecules such as lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, and carbohydrates, and cause lipid peroxidation in foods, which leads to spoiling of foods [5,8]
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