Anti-oxidant Activity of Saussurea lappa C.B. Clarke Roots

This study was performed to investigate the potential use of Saussurea lappa C.B. Clarke as a source of anti-oxidant agents. Various solvent fractionates from S. lappa C.B. Clarke roots were investigated for their anti-oxidative effectiveness. The contents of total phenolics and flavonoids were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu's colorimetric and the aluminum nitrate method, respectively. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of n-butanol soluble fractionates from S. lappa C.B. Clarke, 44.43 μg gallic acid equilibrium (GAE)/g extract and 92.15 μg quercetin equilibrium (QE)/g extract, respectively, were higher than those of other solvent fractionates. The n-butanol soluble fractionates of S. lappa C.B. Clarke (1,000 ppm) showed the strongest inhibitory potential on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and reducing power at 92.98% and 0.38, respectively. Thus, our data shows that the S. lappa C.B. Clarke plant may help prevent antioxidative stress.