Protective Effect of Hibiscus Polyphenol-rich Extract against H2o2 Induced Oxidative Damage of Human Erythrocytes

In the present study, Hibiscus rosasinensis polyphenol-rich extract (HPE) was isolated from the flowers and evaluated for its protective effect against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced oxidation in normal human erythrocytes. RBCs pretreated with different concentrations of HPE extract showed the same hemolysis as that of control samples, demonstrating that the tested HPE extract did not have a harmful effect on erythrocytes. RBCs, preincubated with micromolar quantities of HPE and challenged with H2O2, were analyzed for oxidative hemolysis, met hemoglobin production, and lipid peroxidation. The preincubation of RBCs with the polyphenol-rich extract significantly reduced the oxidative modifications. The inhibition of lipid peroxidation was found to be concentration-dependent up to 100μl of the extract, which contained 1.0 mM gallic acid equivalent (GAE) of polyphenolic compounds. In conclusion, HPE appears to be beneficial in preventing hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative RBC damage in human system and can improve RBC membrane permanence.