Antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic content of twelve traditionally used herbal medicinal infusions from the South American Andes

Benites, Julio Wilfredo; Lopez, Jose; Rojas, Mauricio; Ordonez, Jose Luis; Pastene, Edgar R.

Keywords: antioxidants, free radical scavengers, oxidative damage, herbal infusion, crocin assay

Abstract

Twelve plants used traditionally in ethno-medicine from the South American Andes were studied. Infusions were compared in terms of their free radical scavenger properties, using four different methods (AAPH-induced haemolysis, TEAC-DPPH, FRAP and TEAC-crocin). All herbal teas showed a strong antioxidant capacity, the results obtained with FRAP and TEAC-DPPH being very similar. When compared at a dilution of 0.03%, Parastrephia lucida, Parastrephia lepidophylla, Senecio nutans, Azorella compacta and Baccharis tola, showed a protective effect against oxidative damage on human erythrocytes greater than that of Trolox (p < 0.001). Upon correlating the polyphenolic contents with the antioxidant capacity a positive association for all plants (TEAC-DPPH vs GAE; r2 = 0.7437) was found. Interestingly, there was a better correlation between polyphenolic contents and the protective effect against APPH-induced haemolytic activity.

Más información

Título de la Revista: BOLETIN LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL CARIBE DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES Y AROMATICAS
Volumen: 8
Número: 6
Editorial: UNIV SANTIAGO CHILE CASA
Fecha de publicación: 2009
Página de inicio: 498
Página final: 508
Idioma: inglés
URL: http://www.blacpma.usach.cl/images/docs/008- 006/008-006.pdf