Hiramatsu Midori, Takahashi Tomoko, Komatsu Makiko, Kido Toshitaka, Kasahara Yoshimasa
Tohoku University of Community Service and Science, 3-5-1 Iimoriyama, Sakata, Yamagata, 998-8580, Japan.
Neurochem Res. 2009 Apr;34(4):795-805. doi: 10.1007/s11064-008-9884-5. Epub 2008 Dec 12.
Free radical scavenging activity of the extracts of petals (bud, early stage, full blooming and ending stage), leaf, stem, root and seeds of Mogami-benibana (safflower, Carthamus tinctorius Linne), the contents of the major active components of carthamin and polyphenols, and neuroprotective effect of the petal extracts and carthamin in the brain of mice and rats were examined. Water extracts of Mogami-benibana petals scavenged superoxide, hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and singlet oxygen. The scavenging activities of the extract of safflower petals with various colors showed the order of orange, yellow and white from high to low. This order is consistent with the contents of carthamin, which is a pigment of orange color and is found highest in orange petals and lowest in white petals. There was also a relationship between DPPH radical scavenging activity and carthamin content in the petal extracts of safflower. The neuroprotective effects were examined in cellular and animal models. Mogami-benibana petal extract inhibited glutamate-induced C6 glia cell death, significantly decreased the formation of malondialdehyde in mouse cerebrum, and inhibited the increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the cerebral cortex of rats subjected to an injection of FeCl(3) solution into the sensory motor cortex. Carthamin showed similar effects in inhibiting 8-OHdG by the petal extract in rats. These results suggest that the petal extract of Mogami-benibana has free radical scavenging activity and neuroprotective effect and carthamin is one of the major active components.
对姥紫红花（红花，Carthamus tinctorius Linne）花瓣（花蕾期、早期、盛开期和末期）、叶片、茎、根及种子提取物的自由基清除活性、主要活性成分红花苷和多酚的含量，以及花瓣提取物和红花苷对小鼠和大鼠大脑的神经保护作用进行了研究。姥紫红花花瓣的水提取物能清除超氧阴离子、羟基和1,1-二苯基-2-苦基肼（DPPH）自由基以及单线态氧。不同颜色红花花瓣提取物的清除活性呈现橙色、黄色、白色依次降低的顺序。该顺序与橙色色素红花苷的含量一致，橙色花瓣中红花苷含量最高，白色花瓣中最低。红花花瓣提取物的DPPH自由基清除活性与红花苷含量之间也存在关联。在细胞和动物模型中研究了其神经保护作用。姥紫红花花瓣提取物可抑制谷氨酸诱导的C6神经胶质细胞死亡，显著降低小鼠大脑中丙二醛的形成，并抑制向大鼠感觉运动皮层注射FeCl(3)溶液后其大脑皮层中硫代巴比妥酸反应性物质和8-羟基-2'-脱氧鸟苷（8-OHdG）的增加。红花苷在抑制大鼠花瓣提取物诱导的8-OHdG方面表现出类似作用。这些结果表明，姥紫红花花瓣提取物具有自由基清除活性和神经保护作用，且红花苷是主要活性成分之一。
