Antioxidant flavonoids and chlorogenic acid from the leaves of Eriobotrya japonica.

The antioxidant activity of Eriobotrya japonica was determined by measuring the radical scavenging effect on DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical and lipid peroxidation produced when mouse liver homogenate was exposed to the air at 37 degrees C, using 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA). The methanol extract and its fractions of Eriobotrya japonica leaves showed strong antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of EtOAc and n-BuOH soluble fractions were stronger than the others, and were further purified by repeated silica gel, MCl gel CHP-20P, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Antioxidant chlorogenic acid, quercetin-3-sambubioside from n-BuOH fraction, and methyl chlorogenate, kaempferol- and quercetin-3-rhamnosides, together with the inactive ursolic acid and 2 alpha-hydroxyursolic acid from EtOAc fraction were isolated. Antioxidant flavonoids and chlorogenic acid also showed prominent inhibitory activity against free radical generation in dichlorofluorescein (DCF) method.