Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin
Online ISSN : 1347-5215
Print ISSN : 0918-6158
ISSN-L : 0918-6158
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Antioxidant Activity of Hypericum androsaemum Infusion: Scavenging Activity against Superoxide Radical, Hydroxyl Radical and Hypochlorous Acid
Patrícia ValentãoEduarda FernandesFélix CarvalhoPaula Branquinho AndradeRosa Maria SeabraMaria de Lourdes Bastos
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2002 Volume 25 Issue 10 Pages 1320-1323

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Abstract

Hypericum androsaemum is a medicinal plant species containing many polyphenolic compounds, namely flavonoids and phenolic acids. Since polyphenolic compounds have high antioxidant potential, the ability of H. androsaemum infusion to act as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical and hypochlorous acid) was investigated. Superoxide radical was generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase and phenazine methosulphate/NADH systems. The infusion-mediated prevention of nitroblue tetrazolium reduction by the superoxide radical was used as the measured endpoint. Hydroxyl radical was generated by the Fe3+-EDTA/ascorbate Fenton system, and assayed by evaluating deoxyribose degradation using the thiobarbituric acid method. Hypochlorous acid scavenging activity was tested by measuring the inhibition of hypochlorous acid-induced 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid oxidation to 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). The tested infusion mainly exhibited a potent scavenging effect on superoxide radicals (although a noncompetitive inhibitory effect on xanthine oxidase was also observed). The infusion also acted as a moderate scavenger of hydroxyl radicals and hypochlorous acid. A phytochemical study of the infusion was also undertaken, and nine phenolic compounds were identified.

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© 2002 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
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