title: Free radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation by magnesium lithospermate B.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of magnesium lithospermate B (MLB) on the lipid peroxidation and on its free radical scavenging activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  MLB was incubated in rat tissue homogenate or in a free radical generating system. MLB induced inhibition of lipid peroxidation and its scavenging activity on superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals was studied using colorimetric estimation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MLB inhibited the lipid peroxidation induced by either an auto-oxidant or Fe2+/VitC in vitro, in the liver homogenate, the inhibitory rate of MLB (10 mg/L) being 69.2% and 57.7%, respectively. MLB (25 and 50 mg/kg) decreased the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in rat serum, liver, kidney, and heart. However, it did not inhibit the lipid peroxidation of brain homogenate ex vivo. MLB scavenged superoxide anions generated from xanthine/xanthine oxidase system and iron-dependent hydroxyl radicals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MLB is an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation and scavenge superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals both in vitro and ex vivo.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Xuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical / Q000378:metabolism*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D013481:Superoxides; C061091:lithospermate B; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical