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This study was performed to investigate the free radical scavenging active components from in vitro propagated medicinal herbs of the genus Dendrobium, namely, Dendrobium tosaense Makino and Dendrobium moniliforme SW, using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical antioxidative assay. Seeds of the capsules derived after 12 weeks of hand-pollination germinated asymbiotically (50-74%) on half-strength Murashige and Skoog's (MS) basal medium with 3% sucrose and solidified with 0.9% Difco agar. Active growth in the germinated seedlings was achieved by reculturing on full-strength MS basal medium supplemented with 8% banana homogenate, 8% potato homogenate, 8% coconut water, 1.5% sucrose, and 0.9% Difco agar. Healthy plantlets transferred to plastic trays containing moss or moss and tree fern successfully acclimatized (84-100%) in the greenhouse. Extracts were prepared from plants grown in the greenhouse for a period of 6 months. Methanolic extracts of D. tosaense and D. moniliforme scavenged DPPH at 95.9 and 83.4%, respectively, at a concentration of 0.4 mg/mL. Therefore, methanolic solubles of D. tosaense and D. moniliforme were subjected to bioguided fractionation and separation by column chromatographic methods individually. After chromatographic separation of these crude extracts, the obtained fractions (Dm 1, Dm 2, Dm 3, Dt 1, Dt 2, and Dt 3) were tested for their activity. Among them, fractions Dm 2 and Dt 1 showed significant antioxidant activity by DPPH radical antioxidative assay. Active fractions were purified further by column chromatography and resulted in identification of the antioxidant components alkyl ferulates from D. moniliforme and quercetin from D. tosaense.

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