Hawthorn fruit increases the antioxidant capacity and reduces lipid peroxidation in senescence-accelerated mice

摘要

Hawthorn fruit has long been used as a folk medicine with many medicinal benefits. HPLC analysis revealed that hawthorn fruit extract (HFE) contained 19.86% procyanidin B2, 15.27% epicatechin, 3.10% chlorogenic acid, 2.91% hyperoside, and 1.34% isoquercitrin. Antioxidants are essential for protection of the bodies against the damaging action of free radicals. And we hypothesized that HFE could enhance antioxidant defenses and improve antioxidant status in aged mice. To test this hypothesis, senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) used as an aging animal model were treated with HFE to evaluate the antioxidant effects of HFE in vivo. We found that the activities of antioxidant enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in serum, liver, and brain of SAM mice increased upon HFE treatment, meanwhile the malondialdehyde (MDA) content declined. Concurrently, the gene expression levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px were up-regulated in liver. Furthermore, the antioxidant potential of HFE was also investigated with different systems such as superoxide anion radical scavenging and reducing power. The results showed that HFE indicated a concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in vitro.