Phytomedicine 10: 544551, 2003

Urban & Fischer Verlag

http://www.urbanfischer.de/journals/phytomed

Phytomedicine

Study on the inhibitory effects

of Korean medicinal plants and their main compounds
on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical
E. J. Cho1, T. Yokozawa1, D. Y. Rhyu1, S. C. Kim2, N. Shibahara1, and J. C. Park2
1
2

Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan
Department of Oriental Medicine Resources, Sunchon National University, Sunchon, Korea

Summary
A 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-generating system was used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of Korean medicinal plants that have been used widely as folk medicines for
several disorders, as well as compounds isolated from them. Among the Rosaceae, Rosa rugosa and
Rosa davurica showed strong DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The most effective medicinal
plant from families other than Rosaceae was Cedrela sinensis, followed in order by Nelumbo nucifera, Eucommia ulmoides, Zanthoxylum piperitum, Cudrania tricuspidata and Houttuynia cordata.
These results serve as a good index of the free radical-scavenging activities of Korean medicinal
plants. Furthermore, the polyphenols isolated from these plants, procyanidin B-3, (+)-catechin,
gallic acid, methyl gallate, quercetin, quercetin-3-O--D-glucoside, quercetin-3-O--galactoside,
quercetin-3-O-rutinose and kaempferol, exerted strong DPPH radical-scavenging activity. These
results suggest that the Korean medicinal plants and the polyphenols isolated from them that exhibited effective radical-scavenging activity may be promising agents for scavenging free radicals
and treating diseases associated with excess free radicals.
Key words: 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, Korean medicinal plant, polyphenol

Introduction
Free radicals are now widely accepted as factors that
contribute to the pathogenesis of a wide range of common and age-related degenerative diseases through the
oxidative modification of DNA, proteins and vital
molecules. Antioxidants, which protect against oxidative damage induced by free radicals, prevent the onset
and progression of disease (Cutler, 1991; Meydani et al.
1998). Therefore, interest has been focused on the development of safe, effective and non-toxic antioxidants.
Since ancient times, humans have derived many benefits from natural plants and compounds. It has generally been recognized that traditional Oriental medicines have unique therapeutic roles in the prevention
and treatment of many human diseases related to ex-

cess free radicals. In addition, there is considerable evidence that polyphenols isolated from Oriental medicinal plants are potential therapeutic agents (Castillo et
al. 1989; Inoue and Jackson, 1999; Middleton et al.
2000; Packer et al. 1999; Robak and Marcinkiewicz,
1995). Their beneficial roles are mainly attributable to
antioxidative and radical-scavenging activities and
many of these compounds have been shown experimentally and clinically to have antiradical and antioxidant properties (Dong et al. 1996; Yokozawa et al.
1996a, b, 1997a, b; Zhao et al. 1995). Koreans have
also used and cultivated various traditional herbs with
medicinal functions, but we could find hardly any scientific studies about the antiradical or antioxidant ac0944-7113/03/10/0607-544 $ 15.00/0

Korean medicinal plant: effects on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical

tivities of Korean medicinal plants and compounds isolated from them.
A simple and rapid screening method is needed to
search for promising agents from numerous plants.
Therefore, in this study, we employed a stable 1,1diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-generating
system, because it can be used to assay a large number
of samples in a short time and is sensitive enough to detect natural and synthetic antioxidants at low concentrations. We used this system to carry out primary
screening for antiradical activities among various Korean medicinal plants and their main compounds.

Materials and Methods

545

3-O--L-rhamnoside and kaempferol-3-O--L-rhamnoside from Houttuynia cordata (Park et al. 2000a);

kaempferol-3-O--D-xyloside, kaempferol-3-O--Dgalactoside and kaempferol-3-O--D-xylosyl (1 2)-D-galactoside from Armoracia rusticana (Park et al.
2000b); methyl gallate, gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-O--D-galactoside, kaempferol 3-O--D-glucoside, quercetin and quercetin 3-O--D-glucoside
from Orostachys japonicus (Park et al. 2000c); and
quercetin-3-O--D-glucoside, quercetin 3-O--Lrhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, (+)-catechin,
methyl gallate and adenosine from Cedrela sinensis
(Park et al. 1993, 1996), as described previously.
Determination of DPPH radical levels

Korean medicinal plants

The authorities for Korean medicinal plants used in this

study were described in previous reports (Hur et al.
2001; Park and Ok, 1993; Park et al. 1993, 1996,
2000a, b, c; Young et al. 1987a, b). MeOH extracts of
the following 11 kinds of Rosaceae and 12 other kinds
of Korean medicinal plants were prepared: Rosa rugosa (root), Rosa davurica (root and leaf), Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (leaf), Prunus sargentii Rehder (leaf
and stem), Rosa maximowicziana Regel (leaf and
stem), Rosa acicularis Lindl. (leaf and stem), Rosa
wichuraiana Crep. (leaf and stem), Rubus corchorifolius L. fil. (leaf), Rubus crataegifolius Bunge (stem),
Sorbus alnifolia (S. et. Z.) K. Koch. (stem), Stephanandra incisa Zabel (stem), Eucommia ulmoides (leaf),
Zanthoxylum piperitum (leaf, root, fructus and stem),
Cudrania tricuspidata (leaf), Houttuynia cordata (aerial part), Angelica keiskei (aerial part), Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense (aerial part), Ulmus parvifolia
(leaf), Oenanthe javanica (aerial part), Armoracia rusticana (aerial part), Orostachys japonicus (aerial part),
Cedrela sinensis (rachis) and Nelumbo nucifera (leaf).

Aliquots (100-l each) of aqueous solutions of the

samples (control: 100 l distilled water) were added to
an EtOH solution of DPPH (60 M) in microwells, according to the method of Hatano et al. (1989). After
being mixed gently and left for 30 min at room temperature, the DPPH radical level of each well was determined using a Microplate Reader (Model 3550-UV,
Bio-Rad, Tokyo, Japan). The antioxidant activity of
each sample was expressed in terms of the IC50 value
(concentration in g/ml or M required to inhibit
DPPH radical formation by 50%) determined from the
log dose-inhibition curve. L-Ascorbic acid and 2,6-dit-butyl-4-methylphenol were used as positive controls.

Isolation of compounds

The MeOH extracts were partitioned using organic solvents of different polarities to afford CH2Cl2, EtOAc,
n-BuOH and H2O fractions, in sequence, as shown in
Fig. 1. The EtOAc fraction of each plant was subjected
to Silica gel chromatography with CHCl3-MeOH-H2O
(25 :7 :5, lower layer; 7:3:1, lower layer; 65:35:10,
lower layer) as eluent, to yield kaji-ichigoside F1, procyanidine B-3, rosamultin, (+)-catechin, methyl gallate, gallic acid and quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside
from Rosa rugosa (Young et al. 1987a, b; Park and Ok,
1993); 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, hesperidin, quercetin, quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-L-rhamnoside and kaempferol-3-O--L-rhamnoside
from Zanthoxylum piperitum (Hur et al. 2001);
quercetin, quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside, quercetin-

Fig. 1. Fractionation and isolation of compounds from Korean medicinal plants.

546

E. J. Cho et al.

Results
DPPH radical-scavenging activities
of MeOH extracts of Rosaceae
and other Korean medicinal plants

Table 1 shows the DPPH radical-scavenging activities

of MeOH extracts of Korean medicinal plants of the
Rosaceae family. All the Rosaceae plants tested
showed IC50 values below 10 g/ml, except for Prunus
sargentii Rehder and Rubus corchorifolius L. fil. The
most potent DPPH radical scavenger was Rosa rugosa,
which showed an IC50 value of 1.23 g/ml. Rosa
davurica, Rosa acicularis Lindl. and Rosa wichuraiana Crep. also showed strong scavenging effects, with
IC50 values below 3 g/ml. After these plants the order
of potency was Sorbus alnifolia (S. et. Z.) K. Koch.,
Rosa maximowicziana Regel, Stephanandra incisa
Zabel, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch and Rubus crataegifolius Bunge with IC50 values of 4.14, 4.63 (leaf) and
4.42 (stem), 4.66, 5.17 and 9.09 g/ml, respectively.
Table 2 summarizes the DPPH radical-scavenging
activities of MeOH extracts of several Korean medicinal plants besides the Rosaceae. Most of the extracts
examined were effective DPPH radical scavengers,
showing 50% inhibition at concentrations below
100 g/ml. Cedrela sinensis showed the strongest
scavenging activity, with an IC50 value of 1.66 g/ml.
In addition, Nelumbo nucifera, Eucommia ulmoides
and Zanthoxylum piperitum (leaf) were effective
DPPH radical scavengers with IC50 values of 3.36, 6.69
and 7.41 g/ml, respectively. Thereafter, the order of
scavenging potency was Cudrania tricuspidata, Zanthoxylum piperitum, Houttuynia cordata, Angelica
keiskei, Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense, Ulmus
parvifolia and Oenanthe javanica, whereas Armoracia
rusticana and Orostachys japonicus showed relatively
weak DPPH radical-scavenging activities with IC50
values above 50 g/ml.
DPPH radical-scavenging activities of the
compounds isolated from Korean medicinal plants

As shown in Table 3, of the polyphenols, procyanidin

B-3, (+)-catechin, methyl gallate, gallic acid, quercetin, quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-D-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-rutinose exerted
strong radical-scavenging activities. Procyanidin B-3,
methyl gallate, gallic acid and (+)-catechin from Rosa
rugosa showed IC50 values of 1.47, 1.63, 1.65 and 2.93
M, respectively. Methyl gallate, gallic acid and (+)catechin were also isolated from Orostachys japonicus
or Cedrela sinensis. Quercetin, quercetin-3-O--Dgalactoside, quercetin-3-O--D-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-rutinose were isolated from Zanthoxylum
piperitum, Houttuynia cordata, Orostachys japonicus

or Cedrela sinensis, and they exhibited high DPPH radical-scavenging activities with IC50 values of 2.75,
2.50, 1.66 and 1.97 M, respectively. Kaempferol from
Orostachys japonicus showed marked DPPH radicalscavenging activity with an IC50 values of 6.54 M,
whereas the derivatives of kaempferol from Armoracia
rusticana, Zanthoxylum piperitum and Houttuynia cordata showed weak activities, with IC50 values above
100 M.

Table 1. DPPH radical scavenging activity of MeOH extracts for Korean medicinal plants (Rosaceae).
Scientific name

Used part

IC50 value
(g/ml)

Rosa rugosa
Rosa davurica

root
root
leaf
leaf
leaf
stem
leaf
stem
leaf
stem
leaf
stem
leaf
stem
stem
stem

1.23
1.67
2.47
5.17
49.40
3.21
4.63
4.42
2.70
2.80
2.98
2.80
14.01
9.09
4.14
4.66

Prunus persica (L.) Batsch

Prunus sargentii Rehder
Rosa maximowicziana Regel
Rosa acicularis Lindl.
Rosa wichuraiana Crep.
Rubus corchorifolius L. fil.
Rubus crataegifolius Bunge
Sorbus alnifolia (S. et. Z.) K. Koch.
Stephanandra incisa Zabel

Table 2. DPPH radical scavenging activity of MeOH extracts for Korean medicinal plants.
Scientific name

Used part

IC50 value
(g/ml)

Eucommia ulmoides
Zanthoxylum piperitum
Cudrania tricuspidata
Zanthoxylum piperitum
Zanthoxylum piperitum
Zanthoxylum piperitum
Houttuynia cordata
Angelica keiskei
Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense
Ulmus parvifolia
Oenanthe javanica
Armoracia rusticana
Orostachys japonicus
Cedrela sinensis
Nelumbo nucifera

leaf
leaf
leaf
root
fructus
stem
aerial part
aerial part
aerial part
leaf
aerial part
aerial part
aerial part
rachis
leaf

6.69
7.41
13.29
15.29
15.66
22.04
22.74
23.34
24.40
26.23
35.52
51.15
78.92
1.66
3.36

Korean medicinal plant: effects on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical

547

Table 3. DPPH radical scavenging activity on compounds isolated from Korean medicinal plants.
Material
Rosa rugosa MeOH extract
Root
Kaji-ichigoside F1
Procyanidin B-3
Rosamultin
(+)-Catechin
Methyl gallate
Stem
Methyl gallate
Gallic acid
Quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside

IC50 value (g/ml)

IC 50 value (M)

1.23
> 100
0.85
6.50
0.85
0.30

> 100
1.47
10.00
2.93
1.63

0.30
0.28
1.16

1.63
1.65
2.50

Zanthoxylum piperitum MeOH extract (leaf)

3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid
Hesperidin
Quercetin
Quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside
Quercetin-3-O--L-rhamnoside
Kaempferol-3-O--L-rhamnoside

7.41
1.73
71.15
0.83
1.16
9.07
49.63

11.23
> 100
2.75
2.50
20.25
> 100

Houttuynia cordata MeOH extract (aerial part)

Quercetin
Quercetin-3-O--D-galactoside
Quercetin-3-O--L-rhamnoside
Kaempferol-3-O--L-rhamnoside

22.74
0.83
1.16
9.07
49.63

2.75
2.50
20.25
> 100

Armoracia rusticana MeOH extract (aerial part)

Kaempferol-3-O--D-xyloside
Kaempferol-3-O--D-galactoside
Kaempferol-3-O--D-xylosyl (12)--D-galactoside

51.15
63.36
> 100
> 100

> 100
> 100
> 100

Orostachys japonicus MeOH extract (aerial part)

Methyl gallate
Gallic acid
3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid
4-Hydroxybenzoic acid
Kaempferol
Kaempferol-3-O--D-galactoside
Kaempferol-3-O--D-glucoside
Quercetin
Quercetin-3-O--D-glucoside

78.92
0.30
0.28
1.73
> 100
1.87
> 100
22.67
0.83
0.77

1.63
1.65
11.23
> 100
6.54
> 100
50.60
2.75
1.66

Cedrela sinensis MeOH extract (rachis)

Quercetin-3-O--D-glucoside
Quercetin-3-O--L-rhamnoside
Quercetin-3-O-rutinose
(+)-Catechin
Methyl gallate
Adenosine

1.66
0.77
9.07
1.20
0.85
0.30
> 100

1.66
20.25
1.97
2.93
1.63
> 100

0.95
77.18

5.39
> 100

L-Ascorbic acid
2,6-Di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol

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E. J. Cho et al.

Discussion
The radical reactions that result in cellular and tissue
damage are important in the occurrence of diseases and
contribute to their pathology. Free radicals exert damaging effects on the cell components by oxidizing
lipids of cell, lysosomal and microsomal membranes
(Pederson and Aust, 1975; Tappel, 1973; Wills and
Wilkinson, 1966). Proteins are damaged by cross-linking of amino acids and inactivation of some enzymes is
also observed (Demopoulos, 1973). Furthermore, diseases caused by radicals are the result of an imbalance
between the extent of the cellular damage induced by
radical formation and the efficiency of defense mechanisms. They are now considered to contribute sigificantly to over 50 diseases, including inflammatory injury such as glomerulonephritis, vasculitis and
rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular disorders, nervous system disorders, and so on
(Halliwell, 1987). Therefore, radical scavengers give
promising indications of new therapeutic approaches.
Marked free radical-scavenging activities of many traditional herb plants and their constituents have been
demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro, and these activities are thought to contribute to their pharmacological
effects (Hatano et al. 1989; Robak and Grylewski,
1996; Yokozawa et al. 1997a, b, 1998a, b; Zhao et al.
1995). Korean medicinal plants are also suspected to
be potent free radical scavengers that can protect tissues and cells from injury caused by excess free radicals and may provide novel therapies for various pathological conditions. However, scientific research into
the antioxidant activities of Korean medicinal plants is
rarely carried out.
Up to now, several methods and procedures, both in
vivo and in vitro, have been established for evaluating
the antiradical and antioxidant activities of compounds
(Bindoli et al. 1985; McCord and Fridovich, 1968;
Nishikimi et al. 1972; Yokozawa et al. 1995). In this
study, we used a simple and rapid method, a DPPH radical-generating system, in which extracts or components of medicinal plants scavenge free radicals directly. This DPPH system evidently offers a convenient
and accurate method for titrating the oxidizable groups
of natural and synthetic antioxidants. Most of the Korean medicinal plants tested in this system demonstrated
radical-scavenging activity, indicating that they could
be promising agents for scavenging free radicals and
treating diseases related to free radical reactions.
Plants of the Rosaceae have been used as folk
medicines to treat several disorders, such as diabetes
mellitus, mastitis, asthma, dyspepsia, gastroenteritis
and menoxenia that are at least partially attributable to
free radical presence although scientific confirmation

of their benefits has not yet been reported. Among the

Rosaceae tested, Rosa rugosa and Rosa davurica
showed high DPPH radical-scavenging activities
(Table 1), indicating that they may be useful therapeutic agents for treating radical-related pathological damage through scavenging free radicals. The root of Rosa
rugosa, a perennial shrub, has been used as an astringent and stomachic, and it is known as a Korean folk
remedy for treating mastitis and diabetes mellitus
(Song et al. 1977). In fact, the hypoglycemic effects of
Rosaceae plants in rats with alloxan- or streptozotocininduced diabetes are well established (Lemus et al.
1999; Song et al. 1977). Furthermore, Rosa rugosa has
been reported to show a hypolipidemic effect through
the inhibition of microsomal HMG-CoA reductase activity, resulting in the suppression of cholesterol synthesis (Lee et al. 1991), and the juice of Rosa rugosa
fruit strongly inhibited the proliferation of cancer cell
lines and induced differentiation of HL-60 leukemia
cells (Yoshizawa et al. 2000a, b). In addition, the results of our study suggest that Rosa davurica, which
has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders, could be expected to exert
therapeutic properties by virtue of its free radical-scavenging properties.
We also investigated the DPPH radical-scavenging
activities of other families of Korean medicinal plants
besides Rosaceae (Table 2). Of these, Cedrela sinensis,
Nelumbo nucifera, Eucommia ulmoides, Zanthoxylum
piperitum, Cudrania tricuspidata and Houttuynia cordata showed strong DPPH radical-scavenging activities. These plants have been used widely since ancient
times to treat several pathological conditions. Nelumbo
nucifera, which showed an IC50 value of 3.36 g/ml, is
in wide use in folk medicine as a tonic, hemostatic and
febrifuge, and also for to treating enuresis, gynecological disorders and enterorrhagia. Eucommia ulmoides is
known as a tonic, abirritant and analgesic, and is used
traditionally as a therapeutic agent for lumbago and
arthritis, although the scientific evidence of its pharmacological activity has not yet been supported. Zanthoxylum piperitum, employed in traditional Asian medicine
(Shibata et al. 1999), is used as a spice in Asian cuisine
(Bryant and Meizine, 1999; Epple et al. 2001). It is also
well known as an antidote, an antiphlogistic and a cure
for gastrointestinal disorders. Moreover, Zanthoxyli
Fructus, the pericarp of Zanthoxylum piperitum, has
been recognized to act on the gastrointestinal tract, and
so has been used as an aid to digestion since ancient
times. It is also a crude drug component of Dai-kenchuto, a Chinese prescription used frequently to treat paralytic ileus after laparotomy and severe constipation
(Hashimoto et al. 2001). In addition, Houttuynia cordata Thunb. is described as a pungent tasting herb with
good properties and is used for treating hypertension

Korean medicinal plant: effects on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical

and edema, and as a detoxicant, diuretic, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, antipurulent and diuretic agent (Probstle and Bauer, 1992). Furthermore, Hayashi et al.
(1995) reported that it showed direct inhibitory activity
against herpes simplex virus type I, influenza virus and
human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) without
showing cytotoxicity to the host. In particular,
quercetin, a flavonoid present in Houttuynia cordata,
has been reported to show inhibitory effects on several
viruses (Mucsi and Pragai, 1985). Although Orostachys
japonicus showed relatively weak radical-scavenging
activity (IC50 value > 50 g/ml), it contains high levels
of tannins and flavonoids, suggesting that the compounds isolated from this plant would be potential radical scavengers. Traditionally, it has been used as an antiinflammatory agent to treat hepatitis, boils and piles,
and as a hemostatic agent for the treatment of hematemesis, epistaxis and hemafecia. In addition, Yoon
et al. (2000) reported that Orostachys japonicus A.
Berger had a neuroprotective effect against H2O2-induced apoptosis in a hypothalamic neuronal cell line,
indicating that this plant has a potential use in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disease. Although several beneficial effects of the Korean medicinal plants described above have long been known, protective activities of these plants against oxidative damage that would ameliorate various common and age-related degenerative diseases have not yet been demonstrated. Therefore, the results of our present study serve
as a good indication of Korean medicinal plants that
have free radical-scavenging activity.
Medicinal plants consist of many kinds of components and their biological activities are not usually attributable to a single moiety. Although it remains unclear which of the components of Korean medicinal
plants are the active compounds, polyphenols have received increasing attention recently because of some
interesting new findings regarding their biological activities. We therefore focused on the free radical-scavenging activities of polyphenols isolated from Korean
medicinal plants (Table 3). Zanthoxylum piperitum,
Houttuynia cordata, Armoracia rusticana and
Orostachys japonicus showed relatively low activity
compared with Rosa rugosa. They also, however, contain the polyphenols that are known as the active components of Rosa rugosa, therefore, we also isolated
polyphenols from them to compare their activity with
that of the compounds from Rosa rugosa. Our present
study indicates that procyanidin B-3, gallic acid,
methyl gallate and (+)-catechin isolated from Rosa rugosa, Orostachys japonicus and Cedrela sinensis are
potential free radical scavengers. Radicals that react
with polyphenols are known generally to be highly reactive species, which undergo a variety of reactions
with polyphenols to give dimers through C-C and C-O

549

coupling, thus halting the free radical chain reactions.

The strong radical-scavenging activity of polyphenol
may be due to formation of stable radicals. Several reports support the concept that polyphenols scavenge
reactive free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species
and the DPPH radical (Hatano et al. 1989; Yokozawa et
al. 1998a, b; Yoshida et al. 1989). In particular, the galloyl radical, which is formed during the reaction of tannins with DPPH, is a highly reactive species that can
participate easily in a variety of reactions to yield
dimers through C-C and C-O coupling, thus inhibiting
the free radical reaction (Yoshida et al. 1989). Hong et
al. (1995) also reported that they have been shown to
protect lipids from peroxidation.
Flavonoids have attracted a great deal of attention in
relation to their potential for beneficial effects on
health. Antioxidant activities account at least partly for
these effects, because oxidative stress leads to a variety
of pathophysiological events. Over the past few years,
several experimental studies have demonstrated biological and pharmacological properties of many
flavonoids, especially their antiinflammatory (Middleton et al. 2000), antioxidant (Packer et al. 1999; Robak
and Marcinkiewicz, 1995) and antitumor (Castillo et
al. 1989; Inoue and Jackson, 1999) effects, which are
associated with free radical-scavenging actions. In our
present investigation, the flavonoids, quercetin,
quercetin-3-O--glucoside, quercetin-3-O--galactoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinose and kaempferol, showed
strong DPPH radical-scavenging activities. In particular, quercetin, which has a 3,4-dihydroxyl group, exhibited high radical-scavenging activity. Heilmann et
al. (1995) reported that all flavonoid compounds possessing this active 3,4-dihydroxyl substituent, showed
excellent inhibitory activity against the DPPH radical.
In addition, the radical-scavenging activities of
flavonoids may be influenced greatly by glycosylation.
Although quercetin-3-O--D-glucoside, quercetin-3O--galactose and quercetin-3-O-rutinose showed
strong DPPH radical-scavenging activities similar to or
greater than that of quercetin, quercetin-3-O--Lrhamnoside showed relatively low activity. Interestingly, kaempferol showed a strong inhibitory action
against the DPPH radical, whereas glycosylated
kaempferols showed weak activity. Kaempferol has
four non-ortho-hydroxyl groups in its structure, suggesting that radical-scavenging activity may be enhanced by increasing hydroxyl substitution and that
these four hydroxyl groups could confer strong antioxidant activity. We could hypothesize that glycosylation
may reduce the number of free hydroxyl groups or destroy the ortho-hydroxyl structure, and the sugar linkage may hinder access of free radical scavengers to the
center of the DPPH radical. A study on the relationship
between glycosylation of kaempferol and radical-scavenging activity is in progress.

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E. J. Cho et al.

The strengths of the radical-scavenging effects of

polyphenols are also related to the nature of the radical
species, such as DPPH or peroxy radicals. The present
study is only a preliminary one, as the results obtained
may not represent all the mechanisms and activities of
Korean medicinal plants and compounds derived from
them against radicals and peroxidation. Therefore, in
view of the results of the present investigation, further
studies should be conducted.

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