Antioxidant activity of aqueous methanol extracts of Protaetia brevitarsis Lewis (Coleoptera: Scarabaedia) at different growth stages.

In this study, we evaluate the antioxidant properties of the various extracts of Protaetia brevitarsis Lewis (Coleoptera: Scarabaedia) at different growth stages. The antioxidant activities of six different extracts from larvae, pupae and imago were measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂ ). The larval methanol extracts (LME) and imago methanol extracts (IME) displayed the greatest effect in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assay, but the activity of water extracts was weaker in the all tested assays. However, LME and IME could be compared to ascorbic acid in ¹O₂ quenching ability (the effective concentrations of 50% ¹O₂ quenching: EC₅₀ 0.174, 0.149 and 0.177 mg mL⁻¹, respectively). The antioxidant ability of the extracts to scavenge free radicals could significantly change the contents of gallic acid equivalent, an important factor based on the value of R². The results suggest that our study may contribute to the development of new bioactive products with potential applications to reduce oxidative stress as well as play a vital role in protecting insect organisms against oxidative damage caused by undesirable conditions.