Antioxidant activity of brazilian vegetables and its relation with phenolic composition

Vegetables are widely consumed in Brazil and exported to several countries. This study was performed to evaluate the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of vegetables commonly consumed in Brazil using five different methods, namely DPPH and ABTS free radical, β-carotene bleaching, reduction of Fe³⁺ (FRAP), oxidative stability in Rancimat, and the chemical composition using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The content of phenolic compounds ranged from 1.2 mg GA/g (carrot) to 16.9 mg GA/g (lettuce). Vegetables presenting the highest antioxidant activity were lettuce (77.2 μmol Trolox/g DPPH^•; 447.1 μmol F²⁺/g FRAP), turmeric (118.6 μmol Trolox/g ABTS^•+; 92.8% β-carotene), watercress and broccoli (protective factor 1.29—Rancimat method). Artichoke, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus also showed considerable antioxidant activity. The most frequent phenolic compounds identified by GC-MS were ferulic, caffeic, p-coumaric, 2-dihydroxybenzoic, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acids, and quercetin. We observed antioxidant activity in several vegetables and our results point out their importance in the diet.     

Mitochondrial Protection and Anti-aging Activity of Astragalus Polysaccharides and Their Potential Mechanism

The current study was performed to investigate mitochondrial protection and anti-aging activity of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) and the potential underlying mechanism. Lipid peroxidation of liver and brain mitochondria was induced by Fe²⁺–Vit C in vitro. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) colorimetry was used to measure the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Mouse liver mitochondrial permeability transition (PT) was induced by calcium overload in vitro and spectrophotometry was used to measure it. The scavenging activities of APS on superoxide anion (O₂^•−) and hydroxyl radical (•OH), which were produced by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)—N-Methylphenazonium methyl sulfate (PMS) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)–Fe²⁺ system respectively, were measured by 4-nitrobluetetrazolium chloride (NBT) reduction and Fenton reaction colorimetry respectively. The Na₂S₂O₃ titration method was used to measure the scavenging activities of APS on H₂O₂. APS could inhibit TBARS production, protect mitochondria from PT, and scavenge O₂^•−, •OH and H₂O₂ significantly in a concentration-dependent manner respectively. The back of the neck of mice was injected subcutaneously with D-galactose to induce aging at a dose of 100 mg/kg/d for seven weeks. Moreover, the activities of catalase (CAT), surperoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and anti-hydroxyl radical which were assayed by using commercial monitoring kits were increased significantly in vivo by APS. According to this research, APS protects mitochondria by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting mitochondrial PT and increasing the activities of antioxidases. Therefore, APS has the effect of promoting health.     

Simulated Gastrointestinal pH Condition Improves Antioxidant Properties of Wheat and Rice Flours

The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant properties of wheat and rice flours under simulated gastrointestinal pH condition. After subjecting the wheat and rice flour slurries to simulated gastrointestinal pH condition, both slurries were centrifuged to obtain the crude phenolic extracts for further analyses. Extraction yield, total contents of phenolic and flavonoids were determined as such (untreated) and under simulated gastrointestinal pH condition (treated). 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH^•) scavenging activity, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical cation (ABTS^•+) scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), beta-carotene bleaching (BCB) and iron chelating activity assays were employed for the determination of antioxidant activity of the tested samples. In almost all of the assays performed, significant improvements in antioxidant properties (p < 0.05) were observed in both flours after treatment, suggesting that wheat and rice flours contain considerably heavy amounts of bound phenolics, and that their antioxidant properties might be improved under gastrointestinal digestive conditions.     

Betalain, Acid ascorbic, phenolic contents and antioxidant properties of purple, red, yellow and white cactus pears

Commercialization of cactus pears based on their antioxidant properties can generate competitive advantages, and these can turn into business opportunities and the development of new products and a high-value ingredient for the food industry. This work evaluated the antioxidant activities (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging, protection against oxidation of a β-carotene-linoleic acid emulsion, and iron (II) chelation), the content of total phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, betacyanin, betaxanthin and the stability of betacyanin pigments in presence of Cu (II)-dependent hydroxyl radicals (OH•), in 18 cultivars of purple, red, yellow and white cactus pear from six Mexican states. Our results indicated that the antiradical activities from yellow and white cactus pear cultivars were not significantly different (p < 0.05) and were lower than the average antiradical activities in red and purple cultivars. The red cactus pear from the state of Zacatecas showed the highest antioxidant activity. The free radical scavenging activity for red cactus pears was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) to the concentration of total phenolic compounds (R² = 0.90) and ascorbic acid (R² = 0.86). All 18 cultivars of cactus pears studied showed significant chelating activity of ferrous ions. The red and purple cactus pears showed a great stability when exposed to OH•.     

Synthesis and bio-activity evaluation of scutellarein as a potent agent for the therapy of ischemic cerebrovascular disease

Scutellarein, the main metabolite of scutellarin in vivo, has relatively better solubility, bioavailability and bio-activity than scutellarin. However, it is very difficult to obtain scutellarein in nature compared with scutellarin. Therefore, the present study focused on establishing an efficient route for the synthesis of scutellarein by hydrolyzing scutellarin. The in vitro antioxidant activities of scutellarein were evaluated by measuring its scavenging capacities toward DPPH, ABTS^+•, ^•OH free radicals and its protective effect on H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells using MTT assay method. The results showed that essential point to the synthesis was the implementation of H₂SO₄ in 90% ethanol in N₂ atmosphere; scutellarein had stronger antioxidant activity than scutellarin. The results have laid the foundation for further research and the development of scutellarein as a promising candidate for ischemic cerebrovascular disease.     

Antioxidant activity of grape extracts in a lecithin liposome system

Extracts of 14 different grapes were tested for their antioxidant activities in a copper-catalyzed lecithin liposome oxidation assay and analyzed for their phenolic components by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The total phenolic contents of the grape extracts varied from 176 to 1236 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/L. Extracts of red wine grape varieties contained higher concentrations of phenolics than other varieties. When compared at the same 20 μM GAE basis, the grape extracts inhibited formation of conjugated diene hydroperoxides by 25.1 to 67.9%, and hexanal formation by 49.3 to 97.8%. Extracts of red table grape varieties Red Globe and Emperor and white wine grape varieties Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc gave the highest antioxidant activities. The relative percentage inhibition of conjugated dienes and hexanal correlated with total phenols (r=0.86 and 0.89). HPLC analyses showed that anthocyanins were the most abundant phenolic compounds in extracts of red grapes, and flavonols were most abundant in extracts of white grapes.     

LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS Analysis,Cytotoxic, Antiviral,Antioxidant, and Enzyme Inhibitory Properties of Four Extracts of Geranium pyrenaicum Burm. f.: A Good Gift from the Natural Treasure

This study focused on the biological evaluation and chemical characterization of Geranium pyrenaicum Burm. f. Different solvent extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extracts) were prepared. The phytochemical profile, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activity were investigated. Cytotoxicity was assessed using VERO, FaDu, HeLa and RKO cells. The antiviral activity was carried out against HSV-1 (Herpes simplex virus 1) propagated in VERO cell line. The aqueous extract, possessing high phenolic content (170.50 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract), showed the highest reducing capacity (613.27 and 364.10 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, for cupric reducing antioxidant capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power, respectively), radical scavenging potential (469.82 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, against 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), metal chelating ability (52.39 mg ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid equivalent/g extract) and total antioxidant capacity (3.15 mmol Trolox equivalent/g extract). Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) alloved to tentatively identify a total of 56 compounds in the extracts, including ellagitannins, gallic acid and galloyl derivatives amongst others. The ethyl acetate extracts substantially depressed cholinesterase enzymes (4.49 and 12.26 mg galantamine equivalent/g extract against AChE and BChE, respectively) and α-amylase enzyme (1.04 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract). On the other hand, the methanolic extract inhibited tyrosinase (121.42 mg kojic acid equivalent/g extract) and α-glucosidase (2.39 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract) activities. The highest selectivity towards all cancer cell lines (SI 4.5–10.8) was observed with aqueous extract with the FaDu cells being the most sensitive (CC₅₀ 40.22 µg/mL). It can be concluded that the presence of certain bioactive antiviral molecules may be related to the high anti HSV-1 activity of the methanolic extract. This work has generated vital scientific data on this medicinal plant, which is a prospective candidate for the creation of innovative phyto-pharmaceuticals.     

Production of defatted palm kernel cake protein hydrolysate as a valuable source of natural antioxidants

The aim of this study was to produce a valuable protein hydrolysate from palm kernel cake (PKC) for the development of natural antioxidants. Extracted PKC protein was hydrolyzed using different proteases (alcalase, chymotrypsin, papain, pepsin, trypsin, flavourzyme, and bromelain). Subsequently, antioxidant activity and degree of hydrolysis (DH) of each hydrolysate were evaluated using DPPH• radical scavenging activity and O-phthaldialdehyde spectrophotometric assay, respectively. The results revealed a strong correlation between DH and radical scavenging activity of the hydrolysates, where among these, protein hydrolysates produced by papain after 38 h hydrolysis exhibited the highest DH (91 ± 0.1%) and DPPH• radical scavenging activity (73.5 ± 0.25%) compared to the other hydrolysates. In addition, fractionation of the most effective (potent) hydrolysate by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography indicated a direct association between hydrophobicity and radical scavenging activity of the hydrolysates. Isoelectric focusing tests also revealed that protein hydrolysates with basic and neutral isoelectric point (pI) have the highest radical scavenging activity, although few fractions in the acidic range also exhibited good antioxidant potential.     

Quantification and Purification of Mangiferin from Chinese Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Cultivars and Its Protective Effect on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells under H2O2-induced Stress

Mangiferin is a natural xanthonoid with various biological activities. Quantification of mangiferin in fruit peel, pulp, and seed kernel was carried out in 11 Chinese mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars. The highest mangiferin content was found in the peel of Lvpimang (LPM) fruit (7.49 mg/g DW). Efficient purification of mangiferin from mango fruit peel was then established for the first time by combination of macroporous HPD100 resin chromatography with optimized high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). Purified mangiferin was identified by both HPLC and LC-MS, and it showed higher DPPH^• free-radical scavenging capacities and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) than by l-ascorbic acid (Vc) or Trolox. In addition, it showed significant protective effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) under H₂O₂-induced stress. Cells treated with mangiferin resulted in significant enhanced cell survival under of H₂O₂ stress. Therefore, mangiferin from mango fruit provides a promising perspective for the prevention of oxidative stress-associated diseases.     

In vitro antioxidant and anti-proliferation activities of polysaccharides from various extracts of different mushrooms

Polysaccharides were extracted from eight kinds of Chinese mushrooms using three solvents and were evaluated for their total carbohydrate, polyphenolic and protein contents, and antioxidant and anti-proliferation activities. The results suggested that all the polysaccharides had significant antioxidant capacities (EC(50) ranged from 1.70 ± 0.42 to 65.98 ± 1.74 μM TE/g crude polysaccharide inhibition of ABTS(+), EC(50) ranged from 5.06 ± 0.12 to 127.38 ± 1.58 mg VCE/g CP scavenging of OH· and EC(50) ranged from 0.70 ± 0.04 to 33.54 ± 0.49 mg VCE/g CP inhibition of lipid peroxidation) (TE: trolox equivalent; VCE: VC equivalent; CP: crude polysaccharide). The acid extracts of Russula vinosa Lindblad had the highest ABTS(+) scavenging activity. Aqueous extracts of Dictyophora indusiata and Hohenbuehelia serotina possessed, respectively, the highest OH· scavenging capacity and ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation. Mushroom extracts also inhibited proliferation of HeLa and HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that the mushroom polysaccharides might be potential antioxidant resources.     

Extracts of phenolic compounds from seeds of three wild grapevines-comparison of their antioxidant activities and the content of phenolic compounds

Phenolic compounds were extracted from three wild grapevine species: Vitis californica, V. riparia and V. amurensis seeds using 80% methanol or 80% acetone. The total content of phenolic compounds was determined utilizing the Folin-Ciocalteu’s phenol reagent while the content of tannins was assayed with the vanillin and BSA precipitation methods. Additionally, the DPPH free radical scavenging activity and the reduction power of the extracts were measured. The RP-HPLC method was applied to identify the phenolic compounds in the extracts, such as phenolic acids and catechins. The seeds contained large amounts of tannins, catechins and gallic acid and observable quantities of p-coumaric acid. The total content of phenolic compounds and tannins was similar in the extracts from V. californica and V. riparia seeds. However, the total content of total phenolic compounds and tannins in the extracts from V. californica and V. riperia seeds were about two-fold higher than that in the extracts from V. amurensis seeds. Extracts from seeds of the American species (V. californica and V. riparia) contained similarly high concentrations of tannins, whereas extracts from seeds of V. amurensis had approximately half that amount of these compounds. The content of catechin and epicatechin was similar in all extracts. The highest DPPH^• anti-radical scavenging activity was observed in the acetonic and methanolic extracts of V. californica and V. riparia seeds— while the acetonic extract from the V. californica seeds was the strongest reducing agent.     

Antioxidant Capacity of Rapeseed Extracts Obtained by Conventional and Ultrasound‐Assisted Extraction

Ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) and conventional solid–liquid extraction were applied to extract total antioxidants from two rapeseed varieties. The antioxidant capacities (AC) of winter and spring rapeseed cultivars were determined by four different analytical methods: ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), 2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′‐azino‐bis‐3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid (ABTS). The average AC of the studied rapeseed cultivars ranged between 4.21–10.03 mmol Trolox (TE)/100 g, 7.82–10.61 mmol TE/100 g, 8.11–51.59 mmol TE/100 g, 22.48–43.13 mmol TE/100 g for FRAP, CUPRAC, DPPH and ABTS methods, respectively. There are positive correlations between total phenolics (TPC = 804–1625 mg sinapic acid (SA)/100 g) and AC of the studied rapeseed extracts (r = 0.2650–0.9931). Results of the principal component analysis (PCA) indicate that there are differences between the total amounts of antioxidants in rapeseed samples extracted by different extraction techniques. Rapeseed extracts obtained after 18 min of ultrasonication revealed the highest content of total antioxidants. The UAE is a very useful, efficient and rapid technique of oilseed samples preparation for determination of AC by different analytical methods.     

Biological Activities of Toninia candida and Usnea barbata Together with Their Norstictic Acid and Usnic Acid Constituents

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of acetone extracts of the lichens Toninia candida and Usnea barbata and in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities of these extracts together with some of their major metabolites. The chemical composition of T. candida and U. barbata extracts was determined using HPLC-UV analysis. The major phenolic compounds in these extracts were norstictic acid (T. candida) and usnic acid (U. barbata). Antioxidant activity was evaluated by free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, reducing power and determination of total phenolic compounds. Results of the study proved that norstictic acid had the largest antioxidant activity. The total content of phenols in the extracts was determined as the pyrocatechol equivalent. The antimicrobial activity was estimated by determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration using the broth microdilution method. The most active was usnic acid with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 0.0008 to 0.5 mg/mL. Anticancer activity was tested against FemX (human melanoma) and LS174 (human colon carcinoma) cell lines using the microculture tetrazolium test. Usnic acid was found to have the strongest anticancer activity towards both cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 12.72 and 15.66 μg/mL.     

Involvement of Salicylic Acid on Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties,Anthocyanin Production and Chalcone Synthase Activity in Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) Varieties

The effect of foliar application of salicylic acid (SA) at different concentrations (10⁻³ M and 10⁻⁵ M) was investigated on the production of secondary metabolites (flavonoids), chalcone synthase (CHS) activity, antioxidant activity and anticancer activity (against breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) in two varieties of Malaysian ginger, namely Halia Bentong and Halia Bara. The results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that application of SA induced the synthesis of anthocyanin and fisetin in both varieties. Anthocyanin and fisetin were not detected in the control plants. Accordingly, the concentrations of some flavonoids (rutin and apigenin) decreased significantly in plants treated with different concentrations of SA. The present study showed that SA enhanced the chalcone synthase (CHS) enzyme activity (involving flavonoid synthesis) and recorded the highest activity value of 5.77 nkat /mg protein in Halia Bara with the 10⁻⁵ M SA treatment. As the SA concentration was decreased from 10⁻³ M to 10⁻⁵ M, the free radical scavenging power (FRAP) increased about 23% in Halia Bentong and 10.6% in Halia Bara. At a concentration of 350 μg mL⁻¹, the DPPH antioxidant activity recorded the highest value of 58.30%–72.90% with the 10⁻⁵ M SA treatment followed by the 10⁻³ M SA (52.14%–63.66%) treatment. The lowest value was recorded in the untreated control plants (42.5%–46.7%). These results indicate that SA can act not only as an inducer but also as an inhibitor of secondary metabolites. Meanwhile, the highest anticancer activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines was observed for H. Bara extracts treated with 10⁻⁵ M SA with values of 61.53 and 59.88%, respectively. The results suggest that the high anticancer activity in these varieties may be related to the high concentration of potent anticancer components including fisetin and anthocyanin. The results thus indicate that the synthesis of flavonoids in ginger can be increased by foliar application of SA in a controlled environment and that the anticancer activity in young ginger extracts could be improved.     

Mechanism of Antiradical Activity of Newly Synthesized 4,7-Dihydroxycoumarin Derivatives-Experimental and Kinetic DFT Study

Coumarin derivatives have proven beneficial biological activities, but the mechanism of their radical scavenging potency is not fully understood. In this study, the antiradical capacity of two newly synthesized 4,7-dihydroxycoumarin derivatives: (E)-3-(1-((3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)amino)-ethylidene)-2,4-dioxochroman-7-yl acetate (A-3OH) and (E)-3-(1-((4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)amino)ethylidene)-2,4-dioxochroman-7-yl acetate (A-4OH) towards HO^• were examined by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory (DFT). The compounds were fully characterized by the elemental microanalysis, IR, and NMR spectroscopies. The effect of pH on the acid–base equilibria is separately discussed and the predominant species at the physiological pH were determined. Several common mechanisms (Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT), Single-Electron Transfer followed by Proton Transfer (SET-PT), Sequential Proton Loss followed by Electron Transfer (SPLET), Radical Adduct Formation (RAF), and Intramolecular Hydrogen Atom Abstraction (iHAA)) of radical scavenging were investigated based on thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. EPR results indicated that both compounds significantly reduce the amount of present HO^•. The results of the kinetic DFT study demonstrated that both compounds predominantly exhibit antiradical capacity through HAT and SPLET mechanisms. The estimated overall rate constants (k_overall) proved that A-4OH shows better antioxidant capacity than A-3OH which is well-correlated with the results obtained by EPR measurement.     

Microwave-assisted extraction as an advanced technique for optimization of saponin yield and antioxidant potential from Phyllanthus amarus

The objective of this study was to apply microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) as an advanced technique for optimization of saponin yield and antioxidant potential from Phyllanthus amarus. The findings indicated that the optimal MAE parameters consisted of 100% methanol, irradiation time 4 s/min, extraction time 50 min, and solvent to sample ratio 50 mL/g. Under these optimal parameters, saponin content (SC), saponin extraction efficiency (SEE), and total phenolic content (TPC) of P. amarus were 229.5 mg escin equivalents (EEs)/g dried sample, 82.8%, and 40.7 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAEs)/g dried sample, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of P. amarus in terms of 2,2ˊ-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging capacity (ARSC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazil radical scavenging capacity (DRSC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were 487.3, 330.6, and 233.5 mg trolox equivalents (TEs)/g dried sample, respectively. These measured values were not significantly different from the predicted values by response surface methodology (227.9 mg EE/g dried sample, 82.1%, and 39.2 mg GAE/g dried sample for SC, SEE, and TPC and 484.8, 297.3, and 226.6 mg TE/g dried sample for ARSC, DRSC, and FRAP, respectively). Hence, the optimal MAE parameters are suggested for effective extraction of saponins from P. amarus for further investigations and applications.     

Antioxidant Phenolics of Millet Control Lipid Peroxidation in Human LDL Cholesterol and Food Systems

Phenolic extracts from seven millet varieties, namely kodo, finger (Ravi), finger (local), proso, foxtail, little and pearl were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on lipid peroxidation in in-vitro copper-mediated human LDL cholesterol oxidation and several food model systems, namely cooked comminuted pork, stripped corn oil, and linoleic acid emulsion. The total phenolic content (TPC) and free radical scavenging activities were measured. The TPC ranged from 146 to 1156 μmol ferulic acid equiv (FAE)/g crude extract and the corresponding values based on defatted weight of grain ranged from 8.6 to 32.4 μmol FAE/g. At a final concentration of 0.05 mg/mL, millet extracts inhibited LDL cholesterol oxidation by 1–41%. All seven varieties exhibited effective inhibition of lipid oxidation in food systems used in this study and kodo millet exhibited superior inhibition of lipid peroxidation, similar to butylated hydroxyanisole at 200 ppm. Thus, millets may serve as a natural source of antioxidants in food applications and as a nutraceutical and functional food ingredient in health promotion and disease risk reduction.     

Phenolic Compounds from Halimodendron halodendron (Pall.) Voss and Their Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities

Halimodendron halodendron has been used as forage in northwestern China for a long time. Its young leaves and flowers are edible and favored by indigenous people. In this study, eleven phenolic compounds were bioassay-guided and isolated from the aerial parts of H. halodendron for the first time. They were identified by means of physicochemical and spectrometric analysis as quercetin (1), 3,5,7,8,4′-pentahydroxy-3′-methoxy flavone (2), 3-O-methylquercetin (3), 3,3′-di-O-methylquercetin (4), 3,3′-di-O-methylquercetin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), isorhamentin-3-O-β-d-rutinoside (6), 8-O-methylretusin (7), 8-O-methylretusin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (8), salicylic acid (9), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (ferulic acid) (10), and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy cinnamic acid (11). They were sorted as flavonols (1–6), soflavones (7 and 8), and phenolic acids (9–11). Among the compounds, flanools 1–4 revealed a strong antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 50–150 μg/mL, and median inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 26.8–125.1 μg/mL. The two isoflavones (7 and 8) showed moderate inhibitory activity on the test bacteria. Three phenolic acids (9, 10 and 11) showed strong antibacterial activity with IC₅₀ values of 28.1–149.7 μg/mL. Antifungal activities of the compounds were similar to their antibacterial activities. All these phenolic compounds showed significant antimicrobial activity with a broad spectrum as well as antioxidant activity based on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching assays. In general, the flavonol aglycones with relatively low polarity exhibited stronger activities than the glycosides. The results suggest the potential of this plant as a source of functional food ingredients and provide support data for its utilization as forage as well.     

Study of OH Radicals in Human Serum Blood of Healthy Individuals and Those with Pathological Schizophrenia

The human body is constantly under attack from free radicals that occur as part of normal cell metabolism, and by exposure to environmental factors such as UV light, cigarette smoke, environmental pollutants and gamma radiation. The resulting “Reactive Oxygen Species” (ROS) circulate freely in the body with access to all organs and tissues, which can have serious repercussions throughout the body. The body possesses a number of mechanisms both to control the production of ROS and to cope with free radicals in order to limit or repair damage to tissues. Overproduction of ROS or insufficient defense mechanisms leads to a dangerous disbalance in the organism. Thereby several pathomechanisms implicated in over 100 human diseases, e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, physiological disease, aging, etc., can be induced. Thus, a detailed investigation on the quantity of oxygen radicals, such as hydroxyl radicals (OH^•) in human serum blood, and its possible correlation with antioxidant therapy effects, is highly topical. The subject of this study was the influence of schizophrenia on the amount of OH^• in human serum blood. The radicals were detected by fluorimetry, using terephthalic acid as a chemical trap. For all experiments the serum blood of healthy people was used as a control group.     

开封产3种白色菊花提取物的抗氧化活性

采用清除二苯代苦味肼基(DPPH)自由基、清除[2,2′-连氨-(3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸)二氨盐](ABTS)自由基及铁离子还原/抗氧化能力(FRAP)测定法,对开封产的3种白色菊花(兼六香白、国华万胜及白玉带)不同溶剂提取物的体外抗氧化活性进行了评价,将所测定结果与水溶性维生素E(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-chroman-2-carboxylic acid,Trolox)及阳性对照二丁基羟基甲苯(BHT)进行了比较。结果表明,3种菊花的不同溶剂提取物抗氧化活性不同。同一种菊花的甲醇提取物具有很好清除DPPH自由基和还原铁离子的能力,而石油醚提取物几乎无活性。菊花的3个品种中,兼六香白和国华万胜的抗氧化活性较好,其活性远远超过白玉带的抗氧化活性。9个提取物中,兼六香白的甲醇提取物总的抗氧化活性最好。它对DPPH自由基的清除能力(IC50值为20.49 mg/L)比BHT(IC50值为18.92 mg/L)作用略低;其还原Fe3+的能力(FRAP值为731.73±1.77μmol TE/g)比BHT(1 581.68±97.41μmol TE/g)作用低1/2。3种方法测定结果基本一致,其中以DPPH法和FRAP法相关性最好(R=0.982 0)。