Superoxide radical scavenging activity of the major polyphenols in fresh plums.

The effect of polyphenols among different varieties of plums on superoxide radical scavenging activity (SRSA) was studied by an enzymatic method and their IC(50) values were determined. We found that the SRSA levels of the polyphenols were closely related to their chemical structures; cyanidin showed the lowest IC(50) among the polyphenols examined, and aglycones are more effective than their glycosides. BY 69-339 cultivar exhibited the lowest IC(50) among the eleven plum cultivars, which means the highest antioxidant activity in scavenging superoxide radicals, followed by French Damson, Cacaks Best, Beltsville Elite B70197, Empress, Castleton, Stanley, NY 6, NY 101, Mirabellier, and NY 9. IC(50) values showed a higher correlation with total flavonoids (r (2) = 0.8699) than total phenolics (r (2) = 0.8355), which indicated that flavonoids might contribute to the total SRSA more directly than other polyphenols. Anthocyanins in plums appeared to be the major contributors to the total SRSA, except for two yellow cultivars having no anthocyanins. Chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolic acid, and it also exhibited SRSA significantly in the range of 1.0 to 94.9%. Quercetins were the major flavonols in plums. However, they showed relatively low contribution to the total SRSA.