Planta Med 2010; 76 - P147
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1264445

Evaluation of chemical composition and antioxidant activity of total extract of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. used in traditional medicine

G Amin 1, B Mokhtari Kondori 1, M Vazirian 1, L Abdi 1, G Arabshahi 1
  • 1Tehran University of Medical Science, Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box 14155–6451, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Cuscuta sp. (Convolvulaceae), known as dodder, has been used in Iranian traditional medicine for many gastrointestinal, respiratory, endocrine, skin and neurological diseases and is locally named „Davaa'’-ol-Jonoon“ (Drug of mania) [1, 2, 3]. In recent experimented traditional medicine some species are used for a wide variety of conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, etc. According to previous studies, oxidative stress is related to some neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, psychosis and bipolar disorder [4, 5]. C. chinensis is one of Cuscuta sp. used widely in traditional medicine that is rich in flavonoids as one of the major antioxidant compounds [6]. In this study we evaluated the chemical composition and examined the antioxidant activity of this species to define one of the possible mechanisms for its use in traditional medicine. The total extract of C. chinensis (whole plant) was screened for saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and sterols. The free radical DPPH scavenging activity was compared with the synthetic antioxidant (BHA) as a positive control. Total extract showed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, sterols and flavonoids. In a concentration of 500µg/mL it showed antioxidant activity comparable with that of BHA (220µg/mL, p<0.05). The IC50's of extract and BHA were 235µg/mL and 7.9µg/mL respectively. These data suggest that one of the mechanisms of action of Cuscuta chinensis used for neurological disorders could be via its antioxidant activity.

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