ISSN: 1449-2288International Journal of Biological Sciences
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Int J Biol Sci 2007; 3(6):349-355. doi:10.7150/ijbs.3.349 This issue Cite
Research Paper
Superoxide Anion Radical Scavenging Activities of Herbs and Pastures in Northern Japan Determined Using Electron Spin Resonance Spectrometry
1. Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
2. Post-Harvest Science and Technology Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Science, Tsukuba, Japan
3. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Sojo University, Kumamoto, Japan
4. Analytical Instrument Division, JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
5. Poultry Division, Experiment station for Animal Husbandry, Aomori Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center, Aomori, Japan
6. Forage Production and Utilization Research Team, National Agricultural Research Center for Tohoku Region, Morioka, Japan
Abstract
Free radicals are not only destructive to the living cells but also reduce the quality of animal products through oxidation. As a result the superoxide anion radical (O2・-), one of the most destructive reactive oxygen species, is a matter of concern for the animal scientists as well as feed manufacturers to ensure the quality of product to reach consumers demand. The superoxide anion radical scavenging activities (SOSA) of water and MeOH extracts of 2 herbs and 9 pasture samples collected from lowland and highland swards were determined against a 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyroline-N-oxide-O2・-spin adduct based on a hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction using electron spin resonance spectrometry. Both the water and MeOH extracted SOSA differed among the herbs and pastures. Species and altitudinal variations were observed between extraction methods. The herbs were higher in both water and MeOH extracted SOSA than the pastures except for water extracts of one pasture, white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Among the pastures, quackgrass (Agrophyron repens L.) showed higher SOSA in both the MeOH and water extracts, and timothy (Phleum pretense L.) showed higher MeOH extracted SOSA. It is apparent that the kind and amount of antioxidants differ among herbs and pastures. Animal health and quality of animal products could be improved by adequate selection and combining of herbs and pastures having higher SOSA.
Keywords: Herbs and pastures, superoxide anion radical, scavenging activity, ESR, HPLC, altitudinal locations
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