Quantification of Total Phenols, Total Flavonoids, Total Anthocyanins and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antiradical Activities of Detarium Senegalense Extracts from Chad

The aim of the present work is to assess the value of Detarium Senegalense by determining the content of total phenols, total flavonoids and total anthocyanins, and by evaluating the free radical scavenging activity of Detarium Senegalense extracts. For this purpose, sequential extraction using solvents of increasing polarity was essential. The various extracts obtained underwent phytochemical and biochemical analyses. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, polyphenols, anthocyanins and steroids/terpenes. Quantitative analysis of total polyphenols, total flavonoids and total anthocyanins yielded the following results: total flavonoids (0.803 ± 0029 mg EQ/100g P for acetone extract of roots and 0.871 ± 0.401 mg EQ/100g P for methanol extract of leaves);total polyphenols (23.298 ± 12.68 mg EAG/100g P for acetone extract of roots and 24.69 ± 0.49 401 mg EAG/100g P for methanol extract of leaves);total monomeric anthocyanins (44.697 ± 0.939 mg EC3G/100g P and 16.699 ± 0.193 mg EC3G/100g P respectively for acetone and methanol extracts of stem bark). DPPH free radical scavenging activity was 1.674 ± 0.023 mg/mL for the acetone extract and 0.934 ± 0.24 mg/mL for the methanol extract of roots. .

Extraction,Antioxidant Activity and Identification of Flavonoids from Root Tubers of Kosteletzkya virginica

Kosteletzkya virginica(K.virginica)is used for revegetation of salt-affected coastal tidal flats and as a raw material of biodiesel.K.virginica root tuber,a biowaste with low economic value,is rich in bioactive compounds.This study aimed to extract and identify flavonoids from K.virginica root tubers.The optimal extraction conditions were 1/25(w/v)solid/liquid ratio,40%ethanol concentration at 40℃ for 60 min.Under these conditions,65.2±3.7 mg/g total flavonoid content was extracted from the roots,which were collected from salinized soil in late autumn of the third year.Antioxidant activity was evaluated through 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl,hydroxyl radical,and superoxide anion scavenging assays.The extracted flavonoids exhibited antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent manner.Five flavonoids,glucoliquiritin apioside,licoisoflavone B,5-methoxy-7,8-diprenylflavone,7,2′-dihydroxy-6,8-dimethyl-4′,5′-methylenedioxyflavan,and 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-3′-methoxy-6,8-di-Cmethylflavanone,were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.Our results suggest that the flavonoids of K.virginica root tubers might be potent antioxidants and can be effectively applied as an ingredient in food and natural medicine.

The antioxidant activity and hypolipidemic activity of the total flavonoids from the fruit of Rosa laevigata Michx

In the present work, the antioxidant activity in vitro and hypolipidemic activity of the total fla-vonoids (TFs) from the Rosa laevigata Michx fruit was evaluated, and the antioxidant effect in vivo was also discussed. The TFs exhibited a high scavenging effect on 2, 2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (?DPPH) with IC50 values 0.01 mg/mL, and a stong reduce power in the test. Hyperli-pemic mice were intragastric administrated with TFs (25, 50 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, and fenofi-brate was used as the positive reference sub-stance. After the experiment, the levels of TC (total cholesterol), TG (triglyceride), LDL- C (low density lipoprotein-cholesterol) of the mice ad-ministrated with high-dose of TFs were mark-edly declined by 45.02%, 33.86% and 73.68%, re-spectively, while HDL-C (high density lipopro-tein-cholesterol) was significantly increased com-pared with model group. To investigate the hepatoprotective effect, histopathological assay, ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransefrase) and ALP (alkaline phosphatase) were also studied, and the results showed that TFs exhibited a favorable effect on liver protec-tion, of which the levels of ALT, AST and ALP were elevated by 55.85%, 29.15% and 25.68%, respectively. Furthermore, the TFs could sig-nificantly decrease the MDA (malondialdehyde) level and improve the levels of CAT (Catalas), SOD (superoxide dismutase), GSH (reduced glutathione), and GPX (glutathione peroxidase) compared with hyperlipemia mice. Our results suggested that TFs has a high antioxidant ac-tivity and hypolipidemic activity, which can be used as a potential medicine for cardiovascular diseases.

Extraction Process of Total Flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex and Its in vitro Antioxidant Activity

[Objectives]To optimize the extraction process of total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex,establish the extraction and content determination methods of its medicinal materials,and study its in vitro antioxidant activity.[Methods]The total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex were extracted by reflux extraction method,and the effects of extraction method,extraction solvent concentration,extraction volume,and extraction time on the total flavonoids content of the medicinal materials were explored through the single factor experiment.Orthogonal experiment was carried out to optimize the extraction process conditions,and the optimal extraction process for total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex was screened out.The total antioxidant capacity index was used to determine the free radical scavenging ability of the total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex.[Results]The optimal extraction process of total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex was 50%ethanol,1∶40 solid-to-liquid-ratio,and 1.5 h reflux extraction time.Through the antioxidant experiment in vitro,it is found that the total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex have a higher scavenging ability for the total antioxidant capacity,and there is a certain positive correlation with the mass concentration of total flavonoids.[Conclusions]This method can effectively determine the total flavonoids content of Eucommiae Cortex medicinal material,and provide a certain scientific basis for the quality standard research of the medicinal material.The total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex have good in vitro antioxidant activity.And the method for extracting total flavonoids from Eucommiae Cortex medicinal material in this experiment has good repeatability,high stability and feasibility.

Total phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of flour, noodles, and steamed bread made from different colored wheat grains by three milling methods

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of wheat variety, food processing, and milling method on antioxidant properties. Black wheat variety Heibaoshi 1 had the highest total phenolic content(659.8 μg gallic acid equivalents g-1), total flavonoid content(319.3 μg rutin equivalents g-1), and antioxidant activity, whereas light purple wheat variety Shandongzimai 1 had the lowest total flavonoid content(236.2 μg rutin equivalents g-1) and antioxidant activity. Whole wheat flour and partially debranned grain flour had significantly higher total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activity than refined flour(P < 0.05). Compared with flour, total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity decreased in noodles and steamed bread, whereas noodles had slightly higher total phenolic and flavonoid content than steamed bread. Antioxidant activities(by ferric reducing ability of plasma assay) of steamed bread made from whole wheat flour, partially debranned grain flour, and refined flour were 23.5%, 21.1%, and 31.6% lower, respectively, than the corresponding values of flour. These results suggested that black whole wheat flour and partially debranned grain flour are beneficial to human health.

Biochemical changes in phenols,flavonoids,tannins,vitamin E,β-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of three white sorghum varieties

Objective:To investigate the changes in total phenols,flavonoids,tannins,vitamin E, β-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of three white sorghum varieties.Methods: The changes in total phenols,total ilavonoids,tannins,phenolic acids compounds,flavonoid components,vitamin E,P-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of sorghum grains were determined.Results:Total phenols,total flavonoids,tannins,vitamin E,P-carotene and antioxidant activity in raw sorghum were ranged from 109.21 to 116.70,45.91 to 54.69,1.39 to 21.79 mg/100 g,1.74 to 5.25,0.54 to 1.19 mg/kg and 21.72%to 27.69%and 25.29%to 31.97%,respectively. The above measured compounds were significantly decreased after soaking.p-Hydroxybenzoic acid,vanillic acid,syringic acid and cinnamic acid represent the major phenolic acids in Dorado variety.While ferulic acid,p-coumaric acid,gallic acid and caffeic acid represent the major phenolic acids in Shandaweel-6.On the other hand,protocatechuic acid represents the major phenolic acids in Giza-15.Regarding flavonoids components,Dorado was the highest variety in kampferol and naringenin while Shandaweel-6 was the highest variety in luteolin, apigenin,hypersoid,quercelin and christen.Finally,Giza-15 was the highest variety in catechin. Phenolic acids,flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activities were decreased after soaking. Conclusions:Sorghum varieties have moderate quantities from total phenols,total flavonoids, tannins,phenolic acids compounds,flavonoid components,vitamin E,P-carotene and antioxidant activity which decreased after soaking.

Antioxidant Activity of Methoxylated Flavonoids in Oils in Deep Frying Processes

Methoxylated flavonoids isolated from cold acetone leaf wash of Polygonum senegalense;5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone 1 and 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-flavanone 3, were tested for their ability to enhance thermal stability of vegetable oils. Determination of the peroxide value (P.V.) and the p-Anisidine value (p-A.V.) was done according to the standard methods of analysis. The compounds were tested for in vitro cytotoxicity against a mammalian cell-line, Chinese Hamster Ovarian (CHO) using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT)-assay. Studies on changes in peroxide and p-Anisidine values for the oils heated to temperatures between 180°C and 200°C recorded better stability enhancement at 100 ppm concentration with these flavonoids than the commercial antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The plant-based flavonoids had no significant cytotoxic effect against the CHO cell-line and may serve as alternative antioxidants to synthetic ones which have previously raised great concern over the health of consumers.

Isolation and Identification of Antioxidative Active Component from Total Flavonoids of Mimenghua

In this study, bioassay-guided isolation, identification and biological evaluation of antioxidant components from total flavonoids of Chinese herbal plant Mimenghua were performed. 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging test was adopted as the bioassay-guided method, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography were used as the purification tools for the acquisition of antioxidant components. One compound was obtained and identified as acteoside by its physicochemical properties and spectral characteristics. Antioxidant activity in vitro of acteoside was determined by evaluation of the scavenging activity on DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical, reducing power and total antioxidant capability.The results showed that acteoside had significant antioxidative activity and possessed higher activity with the increase of concentration, which provides the potential application of acteoside in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Antioxidant Activity and Flavonoid Content of Matricaria chamomilla Extracts from Different Populations of Iran

Matricaria chamomilla is a valuable medicinal plant belonging to the Asteraceae family.Its medicinal and pharmaceutical impacts are correlated to major flavonoid compounds like apigenin.In this investigation,methanolic extracts of M.chamomilla inflorescence gathered from six natural populations were evaluated for their phytochemical content and antioxidant activity.The content of total flavonoid and phenol modified from 3.72 to 7.94 mg g-1 DW and 1.37 to 3.51 mg g-1 DW,respectively.Flavonoid compositions revealed significant differences among six populations,and the highest apigenin(1.27%(w/w))and apigenin-7-glucoside(0.86%(w/w))contents were recognized in MD populations,respectively.Both PCA and Pearson’s correlation analyses revealed total phenol,flavonoid,apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside were negatively correlated with the IC50 of DPPH activity and EC50 of reducing power.Altitude and precipitation indicated the positive and negative effects on phytochemical contents,respectively.These results can provide a theoretical basis for getting the targeted antioxidant phytochemicals of M.chamomilla for pharmaceutical and food industries,and also give a science for selection of the best population for cell culture and secondary metabolite production in future.

An Evaluation on Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic and Total Flavaonoid Contents of Extracts from <i>Adina cordifolia</i>(Roxb.)

In this study, in vitro antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and concentration of flavonoids of four different extracts of Adina cordifolia (Roxb.) were determined using spectrophotometric methods. Antioxidant activity of extracts was expressed as percentage of DPPH radicals’ inhibition and IC50 values (μg/ml). IC50 values ranged from 20.39 to 38.96 μg/ml. The total phenolic content ranged from 17.48 to 20.83 mg/g of dry weight of extract, expressed as gallic acid equivalents. The total flavonoid concentrations varied from 17.49 to 22.48 mg/g, expressed as quercetin equivalents. The significant linear correlation was confirmed between the values for the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of plant extracts. Adina cordifolia (Roxb.) can be regarded as promising candidates for natural plant sources of antioxidants with high value.

Investigation of the Phytoconstituents and Antioxidant Activity of <i>Diospyros malabarica</i>Fruit Extracts

Diospyros malabarica (Deshi Gab) belonging to the family “Ebenaceae” grows well in the humid tropical climate of Bangladesh. In order to investigate the phytoconstituents both qualitatively and quantitatively, the seed and flesh extracts of D. malabarica were prepared using two polar solvents (i.e., water and 70% ethanol) and a nonpolar solvent (i.e., hexane). The maximum yield was obtained for aqueous and ethanolic seed extracts indicating that most of the phytoconstituents present in D. malabarica fruit are polar. The qualitative phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of diverse amount of phytoconstituents in the extracts. On the other hand, the quantitative phytochemical analysis for phenols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponin, proteins, reducing sugar and vitamin C revealed that the maximum amount of phenols, tannins, flavonoids and reducing sugar were present in aqueous seed extract. However, the maximum amount of total protein and vitamin C was found in ethanolic seed extract. D. malabarica seed powder contained more amount of alkaloids (i.e., 13.6%) than that of flesh (i.e., 3.4%). However, the content of saponin was more in flesh extract (0.74%) when compared to that of seed extract (0.42%). In vitro antioxidant properties of the extracts were also investigated by DPPH free radical scavenging assay, FRAP assay and reducing power assay. The highest antioxidant activity was observed for aqueous seed extract followed by the ethanolic seed, ethanolic flesh, and aqueous flesh extracts. The lowest antioxidant activity was obtained for hexane flesh extract. Furthermore, the lowest (i.e., 44.70 μg/ml) as well as the highest (2359.66 μg/ml) IC50 values were obtained for aqueous seed and hexane flesh extracts, respectively.

Main Components and Antioxidant Activity of Callisia repens Extracts

To study the main active components and antioxidant activity in vitro of extracts from Callisia repens , the contents of main active components such as total flavonoids, total anthocyanin and total sugar in the extracts were studied by spectrophotometry. The components and content of 18 kinds of metals were determined by ICP-MS mass spectrometry. Finally, the oxidative activity of the extract was evaluated by spectrophotometry. Results showed that the content of flavonoids, the total protein, the total sugar and the total anthocyanin in C. repens extract powder were 2.04%, 1.83%, 55.2% and 7.2%, respectively. Beneficial trace elements such as Ca, Mn, Mg in C. repens extracts were higher, while harmful heavy metals such as Pb, Hg, Ag, Co, Ge were very tiny or not detected at all. The IC 50 of C. repens was 0.265 mg/mL for scavenging DPPH·, and 1.16 mg/mL for scavenging ·OH free radical, the total reducing power of 1 mg extract was equivalent to that of 39 μg of Vc, and the extract showed no regular chelating power to ferrous ions. In conclusion, C. repens extracts have high content of natural active components, but extremely low content of the harmful heavy metals, and C. repens extract has good antioxidant capacity. Its antioxidant activity is realized by a variety of active factors through a synergistic mechanism. Thus, C. repens extract has great potential for developing into functional foods.

GC-MS analysis,determination of total phenolics,flavonoid content and free radical scavenging activities of various crude extracts of Moringa peregrina(Forssk.) Fiori leaves

Objective:To perform phytochemical screening,estimate total phenolics,flavonoids and to evaluate antioxidant potential of Moringa peregrina(M.peregrina) leaves.Methods:The dried powdered leaves of M.peregrina(150 g) were extracted exhaustively by Soxhlet with ethanol and then fractionated into hexane,chloroform,ethy alacetate and methanol.All the prepared extracts were also analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify and characterize the chemical compounds present in the crude extracts.Folin- Ciocalteu reagent and aluminium chloride colorimetric methods were used to estimate total phenolic and flavonoid content of extracts.Hydrogen peroxide and 1,1 diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl were used to determine in vitro antioxidant activity.Results:Phytochemical analysis of ethanol extract showed presence of major classes of phytochemicals.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results revealed presence of 19 phytoconstituents in hexane extract,6 in ethyl acetate and 7 compounds in methanolic extract.Methanol extract was found to contain the highest phenolic content and flavonoids.In vitro antioxidant activities of all crude extracts were significant and comparable with the standard ascorbic acid.Conclusions:Results of this study show that the leaves of M.peregrina are the rich source of phenolic compounds that can play an important role in preventing the progression of many diseases.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea L.) Extracts Obtained by Classical and Ultrasound Extraction

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Echinacea purpurea L. (Asteraceae) extracts obtained by classical and ultrasound solvent extraction were compared. The dry aerial part of plant was extracted by 70% etha-nol at a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1︰10 (m/v) and 25°C. The extract obtained by classical solvent extraction contained 29% larger amounts of phenolic compounds and 20% higher content of flavonoids. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picril hydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging reached 93.6% and the values of EC50 were (34.16±0.65) μg·ml-1 and (65.48±1.12) μg·ml-1 for the extracts obtained by the classical and ultrasound extractions, respectively. The extracts, independent of the extraction technique applied, showed a considerable growth inhibition on Candida albicans and Saccharo-myces cerevisiae, while no growth inhibition zones were observed for Aspergillus niger. The diameters of inhibition zone observed for all the microorganisms were larger for extracts obtained by classical extraction than those by ul-trasound extraction.

Phenolics and Antioxidant Activities of Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

[Objectives] To evaluate the phenolic components of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. and their antioxidant activities from different sources. [Methods] Samples of 35 different sources of H. cordata were collected from Guizhou,and polyphenols,total flavonoids,total chlorogenic acid and 7 kinds of flavonoids( xanthol-3-O-glucoside,hyperoside,quercitrin,rutin,quercetin,kaempferol and isorhamnetin),and DPPH free radical scavenging rate of the extracts were determined. Relationship between the contents of phenolics and the DPPH free radical scavenging rate of the extracts were analyzed by SPSS software. [Results] There were some significant differences in polyphenols,total flavonoids,total chlorogenic acid and the seven flavonoids between samples of different habitats,and the contents of polyphenols,total flavonoids and total chlorogenic acid increased linearly with altitude. There was a significant positive correlation between polyphenols,total flavonoids and total chlorogenic acid content and DPPH free radical scavenging rate of extracts. The contents of kaempferol-3-O-glucoside,hyperoside,quercitrin,rutin,quercetin kaempferol and isorhamnetin were positively correlated with the DPPH free radical scavenging rates of the extracts,except for the significant correlation with quercitrin. [Conclusions]The experimental results suggest that the antioxidant capacity of H. cordata is derived from the total contribution of the phenolic components,indicating that these components have overall equivalence of antioxidant capacities. This provides a new research idea for solving the key problems of quality control of traditional Chinese medicine.

Parkia biglobosa (Mimosaceae) Leaves, Fruits’ Pulp, and Barks of Stem and Root Phytochemicals Contents and Their Antioxidant Activities

More and more Parkia biglobosa plants’ stem barks, and roots are collected for traditional medicine uses. This work aimed to quantify Parkia biglobosa plant parts total polyphenols, total flavonoids contents and their antioxidant activities. The hypothesis was that the plant parts would have different phytochemical contents. So, leaves, stem barks, root barks and mature fruit pulp were collected. Alongside the leaves, the stem and root barks were sliced, air-dried at room temperature for 30 days. Thereafter, the samples were crushed and sieved. Following this, the powders were extracted with distilled water by maceration and decoction. As a result, the decoction was more efficient than the maceration. Leaves had the highest total polyphenol content (14.68), followed by stem barks (11.69), and root barks (9.09 ± 0.43 mg GAE/g) (0.0001 ≤ p ≤ 0.0002). However, for total flavonoid contents, the stem barks were better than the other parts. Indeed, stem barks delivered 0.74 and were followed by leaves for 0.6, and root bark for 0.49 ± 0.02 mg EQ/g (0.0001 ≤ p ≤ 0.0169). Finally, the antioxidant activities were 3.07 and 2.86 ± 0.1 μmol T.E/g, respectively for stem bark, and leaves (p = 0.0532). In conclusion, there is no need to debark the stems, because, in decoction, leaves and stem barks would have the same efficacy.

Effect of pH on Antioxidant and Phytochemical Activities of Mulhatti Roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)

Glycyrrhiza glabra L.is the most widely used herb in the ancient history of Ayurvedic medicine,as a medicinal value as well as an aromatic herb,and it is commonly known as Mulhatti.Mulhatti roots are useful for medically and are also a good source of phytoproducts and secondary metabolites present in Mulhatti roots are triterpenoid saponin,glycosides,glycyrrhizin,prenylated biaurone,licoaagrone,7-acetoxy-2-methylisoflavone,4-methylcoumarin,liqcoumarin,glycyrrhetinic acid,quercetin,liquiritigenin,isoliquiritigenin,etc.This study was carried out to study the evaluation of phenolic compounds,2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)free radical activity and general antioxidant capacity of water extracts of Mulhatti roots prepared at different pH values,namely 2,4,7 and 9.Data have shown great differences in terms of results.Most of the phenolic compounds are at pH 7(19.25),followed by pH 9(17.25),pH 2(14.62)and pH 4(8.89 mg GAE/g),respectively.Similarly,the flavonoid data also showed variations,the maximum has been present in pH 2(5.39),then pH 7(3.02),pH 9(1.79)and pH 4(1.40 mg CE/g),respectively.The value for DPPH IC50 free radical scavenging activity was the lowest at pH 7(82.22),followed by pH 2(110.40),pH 4(111.99)and pH 9(146.24μg/mL)and IC50 reference standard(ascorbic acid)was 59.52μg/mL in distilled water.The total capacity of the antioxidant was the highest at pH 2(9.93)followed by pH 4(5.54),pH 7(5.34)and pH 9(4.23 mg AAE/g).According to current research,pH 7 is the best for phytochemicals as well as antioxidants that catch harmful radicals.

Evaluation of total phenols,total flavonoids and antioxidant activity of the leaves crude extracts of locally grown pigeon pea traditionally used in Sultanate of Oman for the treatment of jaundice and diabetes

Objective:To determine the total phenols,total flavonoids and evaluate the antioxidant activity of crude extracts from the leaves of pigeon pea native to Sultanate of Oman by a popular method.Methods:The powdered leaves samples from pigeon pea were used for extraction by maceration method with methanol solvent.The methanol free crude extract by maceration method was suspended in water and successively extracted with different polarities of solvents.The obtained crude extracts with different polarities were used for the determination of total phenols and flavonoids contents by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride methods.The antioxidant activity of six crude extracts from pigeon pea was determined byα,αα-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl method.Results:The different polarities leaves crude extracts showed a significant amount of total phenols content ranging from 97.80 to 256.00 mg of GAE/g of crude extract.The same leaves crude extracts also showed good amount of total flavonoids content ranging from 1.38 to 8.51 mg QE/g plant material.The six crude extracts from the leaves displayed significantα,αα-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity with highest value in chloroform extract followed by methanol,butanol,ethyl acetate,hexane and water crude extracts(98.13%,89.26%,88.82%,86.41%,79.95%and 69.44%,respectively).Conclusions:Leaves crude extracts from pigeon pea have high contents of total phenols and flavonoids.In this regards,it could be used as a medicine for the treatment of different diseases.

Diversity of Antioxidant Content and Its Relationship to Grain Color and Morphological Characteristics in Winter Wheat Grains

The current interest in the health beneifts of whole wheat grain has prompted breeders to further increase the concentration of antioxidants in wheat. The objective of this study was to investigate the variation in antioxidant content among Chinese wheat grains and the relationship between antioxidants and grain color and morphological characteristics. A wide variation was observed in the total phenolic, carotenoid and lfavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant activity （AOA）, of Chinese wheat varieties. Black wheat had the highest mean total phenolic, carotenoid and lfavonoid contents and the highest AOA, followed by red and white wheats. The grain color parameters were signiifcantly negatively correlated with total phenolic, carotenoid and lfavonoid contents and AOA among all of the wheat varieties examined, and grain weight was also signiifcantly negatively correlated with these traits. The same correlation between grain weight and antioxidant traits was also observed within individual groups of wheat, which indicates that grain weight may be used as an index for selecting wheat varieties with high AOA. Landraces had signiifcantly higher lfavonoid content than commercial wheat varieties. The results of this study may be useful for breeding nutrient-rich wheat varieties.

In vitro cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant effect of selected coniferous tree species

Objective:To explore cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant effect of six coniferous trees(Abies bornmulleriana,Picea pungens,Juniperus communis,Cedrus libani,Taxus baccata,and Cupressus sempervirens var.horizantalis).Methods:Acetone(Ace),ethyl acetate(EtOAc),and ethanol(EtOH)extracts prepared from the needles and shoots of the six coniferous trees were screened for their acetylcholinesterase(AChE)and butyrylcholinesterasc(BChE)inhibitory activity at 100μg/mL.Antioxidant activity of the extracts was tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylendiamine(DMPD)radical scavenging,nietal-chelation capacity,ferric-(FRAP)and phosphomolibdenum-reducing antioxidant power(PRAP)assays.All of the assays were performed in ELISA microplate reader.Total phenol and flavonoid amounts in the extracts were determined spectrophotometrically.Results:Among thirty-six extracts in total,the shoot-Ace extract of Cupressus sempervirens var.horizantalis exerted the highest inhibition against AChE[(54.84±2.51)%],while the needle-Ace extract of Cedrus libani was the most effective in inhibiting BChE[(67.54±0.30)%].The highest DPPH radical scavenging effect,FRAP and PRAP was observed in the shoot-Ace and EtOAc extracts from Taxus baccata.whereas all the extracts showed a variable degree of scavenging effect against DPMD radical.The shoot-EtOAc extract of Cedrus libani had the highest metalchelation capacity[(58.04±0.70)%].The shoot extracts of Taxus baccata were determined to have the richest total phenol content,which may contribute to its marked antioxidant activity.Conclusions:The conifer species screened in this study may contain cholinesterase-inhibiting and antioxidant properties,which might be useful against Alzheimer's disease.