Abstract

The fruit of Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Herit. ex Vent. is a traditional Chinese medicine with Chinese name Chushizi. It has been commonly used as an important tonic for the treatment of age-related disorders. In this work, the antioxidant properties of the oil were investigated on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS), activated RAW264.7 cells along with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The chemical composition of the oil was analyzed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The oil mainly consists of 8, 11-octadecadienic acid (79.17%). It possessed DPPH/superoxide anion/hydroxyl free radical scavenging and NO production inhibition activities (IC50 58.00±0.37 μg/ml). The results indicated that Chushizi oil was a powerful antioxidant with versatile free radical-scavenging activity, which may have therapeutic potential in associated with various inflammatory diseases.

Key words: Chushizi, Broussonetia papyrifera, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant.

Abbreviation

GC-MS, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; DPPH, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl; ROS, reactive oxygen species; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; Tris,trishydroxymethylaminomethane; DMEM, dulbecco’s modified eagle’s medium; DMSO,dimethyl sulfoxide; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; RSA, radical scavenging activity; DSQ, disability studies quarterly.