Antioxidant Capacity and Proanthocyanidin Composition of the Bark of Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Abstract

Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng is the only living species in the genus Metasequoia Miki ex Hu et Cheng (Taxodiaceae), which is well known as a “living fossil” species. In the Chinese folk medicine, the leaves and bark of M. glyptostroboides are used as antimicrobic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory drug for dermatic diseases. This study is the first to report the free radical scavenging capacity, antioxidant activity, and proanthocyanidin composition of the bark of M. glyptostroboides. We observed total of six extracts and fractions, which were easily obtained by water-ethanol extraction and followed by a further separation with D101 resin column chromatography, had significant DPPH radical, superoxide anion radical, and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC), lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, and metal ions chelating capacity. The fraction MGEB, which was obtained by 60% ethanol extraction and followed by a further separation with D101 resin column chromatograph, possessed the highest proanthocyanidin content and the highest free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Furthermore, MGEB could significantly protect against CCl4 induced acute liver injury through inhibition of oxidative stress in mice. In addition, ten proanthocyanidins were isolated from MGEB, and six of them were firstly reported from this plant.

Proanthocyanidin-Rich Date Seed Extract Protects Against Chemically Induced Hepatorenal Toxicity

“…46 Moreover, the increase in concentration of free peroxide radical and unsaturated fatty acid peroxides can induce alterations in the cholesterol profile and lipid metabolism along with induction of oxidative DNA damage, including the formation of DNA adducts and chromosomal alterations. 47,48 Additionally, the level of NP-SH, for example, glutathione (GSH), the nonenzymatic part of the antioxidant defense, and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPX, and CAT) decrease in the tissues due to their rapid consumption after combatting free radicalinduced oxidative stress. 49 Lipid peroxidation and damage of hepatocyte membranes initiated by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by CCl 4 was reported to be followed by the release of a myriad of growth factors, inflammatory mediators, and prostaglandins from activated hepatic macrophages, which potentiate CCl 4 -induced hepatic injury by further generation of a variety of ROS.…”

“…51,52 The antioxidant activity of proanthocyanidins is principally based on the properties of their phenolic hydroxyl groups, which serve as electron or hydrogen donors to terminate the free radical chain reaction yielding a stable phenolic radical. 48,53 In this study we prepared a hydroacetone extract (DTX) from date seeds, which proved to be highly rich in proanthocyanidins as identified by vanillin reaction, and by HPTLC chromatographic and NMR spectroscopic analyses ( Fig. 1 and Tables 1 and 3).…”

Proanthocyanidins from the bark of Metasequoia glyptostroboides ameliorate allergic contact dermatitis through directly inhibiting T cells activation and Th1/Th17 responses

“…20100505) has been deposited at the Laboratory of Nature Drug, Institute of Materia Medica, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, China. MGEB was prepared as previously described (Chen et al 2014). In detail, the pulverized bark of M. glyptostroboides (1.0 kg) was extracted three times with 60% ethanol under reflux for 2 h. The extract was filtered through Whatman filter paper.…”

“…In our previous study, the proanthocyanidin enriched fraction from the bark of Metasequoia glyptostroboides (MGEB) was found to possess significant antioxidant activity and protective effect against CCl 4 induced acute liver injury (Chen et al 2014). To elucidate whether proanthocyanidin is responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of the bark of M. glyptostroboides, in this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activities of MGEB on 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced mouse model of ACD, then further investigated its potential mechanisms by determining its inhibition on T cell activation and Th1/Th17 responses in vitro.…”

Novel aminoalkaloids from European mistletoe (Viscum album L.)

“…Extracts from M. glyptostroboides have been shown to exhibit antioxidant activity [94,95], antibacterial effects [96][97][98], antifungal activity [99], potential antidermatophytic activity [94,99] and additionally a mixture of flavonoids referred to as total flavonoids from M. glyptostroboides has been reported to exhibit protective effects on cerebral-ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats [100]. Pure natural products identified from M. glyptostroboides have been reported to exhibit antioxidant activity [101,102], inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolism [102], antibiotic activity towards bacteria [103][104][105][106], antifungal activity [107], antiviral activity [108] and anticancer activity [109].…”