FOOD&CHEMISTRY

Free radical scavenging activity of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii flower

Qi Qi Pang1   Sanghyun  Lee2,v3   Ji-Hyun  Kim1,*   Eun Ju  Cho1,*   

1Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
2Department of Plant Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong 17546, Korea
3Natural Product Institute of Science and Technology, Anseong 17546, Korea

Abstract

Balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and ROS quenching is important in all living organisms. If the balance is broken, the ROS consecutively generate other reactive species with toxic impact and cause oxidative stress, which is associated with chronic degenerative diseases including cancer and metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, natural materials as ROS scavengers are required and necessary to stabilize the ROS balance in the body. The aim of this study was to demonstrate and compare the antioxidant properties in ethanol extract and four different fractions (n-butanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, n-hexane) of Cirsium japonicum var. (maackii flower under in vitro assay. Cirsium japonicum var. (maackii was extracted with ethanol and then partitioned with n-butanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and n-hexane. The antioxidant capacities of the ethanol extract and four fractions were investigated based on the ability to quench several free radicals including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, superoxide anion radicals, and nitric oxide. All of the ethanol extract and fractions from Cirsium japonicum var. (maackii flower exerted high antioxidant activities. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate fractions of ethanol extract from Cirsium japonicum var. (maackii flower could provide antioxidant potential as free radical scavengers.

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