title: Antioxidant activities of cold-nature Tibetan herbs are signifcantly greater than hot-nature ones and are associated with their levels of total phenolic components.
abstract: Tibetan medicinal plants have been used for more than 2 000 years. In order to find their differences in antioxidant activity, total phenolics and total flavonoids between "hot-nature" and "cold-nature" herbs, we investigated the antioxidant activities of 40 Tibetan herbs from Qinghai plateau, with 20 herbs in cold-nature and 20 herbs in hot-nature. Antioxidant capacities were evaluated by the following methods: scavenging ABTS•(+) (2, 2'azinobis-(3-ethylbenz-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), scavenging O2•(-), and Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The effects on inhibition of mitochondrion lipid peroxidation were determined by measuring the formation of TBARS (Thiobarbituric acid reactive substrates). Total phenolics and flavonoids were estimated by Folin-Ciocalteu and NaNO2-Al(NO3)3-NaOH colorimetric methods. Interestingly, the cold-nature herbs displayed higher antioxidant activities than the hot-nature ones, corresponding to nearly three-fold higher total phenolic contents in the cold-nature herbs. Moreover, the antioxidant activities correlated linearly with the levels of total phenolics for both cold-nature and hot-nature herbs, but only with the levels of total flavonoids for the hot-nature herbs. The results suggested that the phenolic compounds, but not the flavonoids, play the major role in antioxidant capacities of the cold-nature herbs. These findings could shed new lights on the study the theory of Tibetan medicine.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Yu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China. Electronic address: zhenglf@lzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li-Fang
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000378:metabolism; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry*; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D018609:Tibet
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; C002502:2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid
keywords: Antioxidant activity; Flavonoids; Hot-cold nature; Mitochondrion; Phenolics; Tibetan herbs