Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Effects of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Leaves Phenolic Fraction

Phenolic rich ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) from lotus leaves was prepared and its bioactive components, antioxidant and cytoprotective effects were investigated. EAF showed high total phenolic content and flavonoid content and contained rutin (11,331.3±4.5 mg/100 g EAF), catechin (10,853.8±5.8 mg/100 g EAF), sinapic acid (1,961.3±5.6 mg/100 g EAF), chlorogenic acid (631.9±2.3 mg/100 g EAF), syringic acid (512.3±2.5 mg/100 g EAF), and quercetin (415.0±2.1 mg/100 g EAF). EAF exerted the IC50 of 4.46 μg/mL and 5.35 μg/mL toward DPPH and ABTS cation radicals, respectively, and showed strong reducing power, which was better than that of ascorbic acid, a positive control. Additionally, EAF protected hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage indicated by the conversion of supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA to the open circular form and inhibited lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acid in a linoleic acid emulsion. In cultured hepatocytes, EAF exerted a cytoprotective effect against oxidative stress by inhibiting intracellular reactive oxygen species formation and membrane lipid peroxidation. In addition, depletion of glutathione under oxidative stress was remarkably restored by treatment with EAF. The results suggest that EAF have great potential to be used against oxidative stress-induced health conditions.