Antioxidant Potential of Selected Korean Edible Plant Extracts

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of various plant extracts. A total of 94 kinds of edible plant extracts obtained from the Korea Plant Extract Bank were screened for cytotoxicity, following which the total phenolic content of 24 shortlisted extracts was determined. Of these, extracts from three plants, namely, Castanea crenata (CC) leaf, Camellia japonica (CJ) fruit, and Viburnum dilatatum (VD) leaf, were examined for antioxidant capabilities by measuring radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing/antioxidant power, and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity. In addition, cellular antioxidant activities of the three extracts were assessed by a cell-based dichlorofluorescein assay and antioxidant response element (ARE) reporter activity assay. The results demonstrated that all three extracts concentration-dependently scavenged free radicals, inhibited lipid peroxidation, reduced the cellular level of reactive oxygen species, and increased ARE-luciferase activity, indicating antioxidant enzyme-inducing potential. In particular, CJ extract showed significantly greater antioxidative activity and antimigratory effect in a breast cancer cell line compared to CC and VD extracts. Hence, CJ extract deserves further study for its in vivo functionality or biologically active constituents.

Aqueous-Methanol Extracts of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Ameliorate Oxidative Stress and Modulate Type 2 Diabetes Associated Genes in Insulin Resistant C2C12 Cells

“…Edible plants are a source of dietary components that can act as reducing agents against ROS [ 16 ] and prevent oxidative stress mediated diseases such as type 2 diabetes [ 17 ]. Sweet potato is a food crop that contains carbohydrates, proteins, carotenoids and polyphenols in different proportions depending on the cultivar or variety [ 18 ].…”

Effects of the Extracts from Fruit and Stem of Camellia japonica on Induced Pluripotency and Wound Healing

“…A total of 3695 plant extracts were purchased from the Korea Plant Extract Bank at Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB) ( , Ochang, Chungbuk, Korea) [ 43 ]. According to the supplier [ 25 , 44 ], each plant material was washed, air-dried at 70 °C, and ground. The dried ground materials were extracted in methyl alcohol (99.9%) at 45 °C for 3 days.…”

“…Plant extracts have been used worldwide for thousands of years as traditional medicines for treatment of various human diseases, and the effectiveness of bioactive compounds from plant extracts are clinically validated [ 20 , 21 ]. Different beneficial biological activities, such as anticancer [ 22 , 23 ], antimicrobial [ 24 ], antioxidant [ 25 , 26 ], antiaging [ 27 , 28 ], antianalgesic [ 29 ], and wound healing activities [ 30 , 31 ], have been reported. Furthermore, unlike most animals, plants cells are thought to be totipotent (i.e., regenerate completely new plant tissues cultured in vitro [ 4 ]) or pluripotent (i.e., regenerate some plant tissues with restricted potential [ 1 , 32 ]), suggesting that plant extracts are expected to contain the valuable bioactive small molecules involved in reprogramming, rejuvenation, and/or regeneration processes.…”

Protective effect of extract of the Camellia japonica L. on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

“…an anti-allergic effect 5 , antibacterial activity 6 , antioxidant activity 7,8,9 , and endothelium-dependent relaxation of the coronary artery. Particularly, the extracts obtained from the fruit of C. japonica have strong cardiovascular protection effects 3,10 .…”