title: Antioxidant activities in vitro and hepatoprotective effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves in vivo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Herbal medicines played a major role in the treatment of hepatic disorders, and a number of medicinal plants and their compounds were widely used for the treatment of these disorders, and oxidant stress injury was one of the mechanism of liver injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antioxidant activity of Nelumbo nucifera leaves (NU) extracts was assayed by the methods of scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonicacid) (ABTS) radical and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) in vitro. By intraperitoneal injection carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to establish acute liver injury model in mice, the levels of Glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of and maleicdialdehyde (MDA) were detected to evaluate hepatoprotective effect of NU using corresponding test kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EtOAC (NUEA) and n-BuOH extracts (NUBU) of N. nucifera leaves had good scavenging DPPH and ABTS radical activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power in vitro. DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power of NUEA (IC50= 6.68±0.29 µg/mL, RACT50=1749.82±67.03 µmol/g) and NUBU (IC50= 4.61±0.01 µg/mL, RACT50=1995.27±135.71 µmol/g ) were higher than that of BHT (IC50=8.76±0.20 µg/mL, RACT50=1581.68±97.41 µmol/g) and Dangfeiliganning (IC50=28.06±0.17 µg/mL, RACT50=1028.55±3.28 µmol/g). ABTS radical scavenging activity of NUEA (IC50= 5.32±0.12 µg/mL) and NUBU (IC50= 8.16±0.27 µg/mL) were higher than that of Dangfeiliganning (IC50= 9.76±0.16 µg/mL). Thus, hepatoprotective effect of NUEA and NUBU was evaluated on CCl4-induced acute liver injury mice. The results showed that the levels of GOT and GPT in each treatment group significantly decreased (p<0.001 and p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively) except for the group of NUEA (130.8 mg/kg) (p>0.05). The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver in groups of NUEA (523 mg/kg), NUBU (840.5 and 420.5 mg/kg, repectively) had significant decrease (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively), and the level of SOD in liver for each treatment group could significantly decrease (p<0.001, p<0.05, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NUEA and NUBU had significantly hepatoprotective effect for Calcium tetrachloride CCl4-induced liver injury, which might be attributable to its antioxidant activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China ; Chemical Science and Technology Department, Kunming University, Yunnan Kunming 650214, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Traditional Chinese Medical Research Institute, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Xuezhu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Zhenhua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Materia, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
authors.forename: Wenyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000009:adverse effects; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D031653:Nelumbo / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D020011:Protective Agents; C015977:malealdehyde; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: Antioxidant activity; Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4); Nelumbo nucifera leaves; hepatoprotective effect