Abstract
Background: Fruits from L. ruthenium, L. barbarum, and L. Chinense, of the family Solanaceae are well-known in traditional Chinese medicine and have been used as popular functional foods, with a large variety of beneficial health effects.
Methods: In The present study, ethanolic extracts (30%) of lycium fruits were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Total phenolic content was determined together with the quantification of seventeen (17) phenolic compounds. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of the three plants were investigated in vitro through DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays.
Results: Results revealed that all three Lycium fruits extracts had antioxidant activities. However, L. ruthenicum showed the highest radical scavenging capacity. Hydroxycinnamic acid amides (HCAAs) class derivatives including N1, N10-bis(dihydrocaffeoyl)spermidine,N1-bishydrocaffeoyl,N10-caffeoyl spermidine, and N1,N10 -di(caffeoyl) spermidine were dominant in L. ruthenicum (15.56-310.80 mg/100g). A significant amount of chlorogenic acid was detected in all the extracts (L. ruthenicum: 238.59 mg/100g; L. barbarum: 25.76 mg/100g; L. chinense: 98.86 mg/100g). Cryptochlorogenic acid was not detected in L. barbarum, while protocatechuic acid and neochlorogenic acid were only found in L. ruthenicum. The content of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives was particularly high in L. chinense. Rutin was detected in all analyzed species, the highest amount being registered for L.chinense. (62.56±0.061 mg/100g).
Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study show that Lycium fruit extracts have promising antioxidant potential to be used in food, nutraceutical, and biomedical field. These findings could serve as a scientific foundation for discrimination and quality assessment of the three Fructus Lycium.
Keywords: Antioxidant activities; HPLC; Lycium ruthenicum; Lycium barbarum; Lycium chinense; phenolic content; Solanaceae.
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