Antioxidant activity of methanol extracts from the genus Lespedeza

Abstract

The genus Lespedeza belonging to Leguminosae is an annual or perennial herb, which has been used as a Chinese herbal medicine. Antioxidant activity on DPPH ((1,1)-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'- azino-bis(3-ethylenebenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals and the contents of total polyphenol and flavonoid were analyzed with 12 methanol extracts from six Lespedeza genus plants with different plant parts. The highest content of total polyphenol was detected in the leaves of Lespedeza×robusta (194.6 mg GAE/g), while the highest content of total flavonoid existed in the aerial part of Lespedeza thunbergii var. intermedia (47.9 mg QE/g). Generally, the amounts of polyphenol and flavonoid compounds were higher in the leaves than in the stems. The SC50 value of DPPH radical scavenging activity ranged from 10.16 to 90.94 ppm, of which the strongest activity was determined in the leaves of L. robusta. Most ABTS radical scavenging activities from the investigated methanol extracts were higher than that of L-ascorbic acid, implying the excellent antioxidant activity. The radical scavenging activity in this study showed high correlation with the amount of total polyphenol rather than that of total flavonoid. These data suggest that the methanol extracts from these Lespedeza spp. could be potential candidates for natural antioxidants.