Inhibitory Activity on Xanthine Oxidase and Antioxidant Properties of Teucrium polium L. Extracts

The antioxidative activities of subfractions; methanol (CE), chloroform (CHE) and ethyl acetate (EAE) of Teucrium polium extracts (TPE) were investigated. HPLC analysis of the plant revealed the existence of procyanidins B1 and B2, gallic acid, catechin and epicatechin. All the extracts showed inhibitory properties on xanthine oxidase, with IC50 ranging from 0.80 ± 0.07 to 11.76 ± 0.50 µM/quercetin equivalent. In the cellular system, all the extracts showed a protective effect greater than those of quercetin, rutin and gallic acid against t-BHP induced oxidative damages in human erythrocytes. These results were clearly confirmed by a modified thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS), and β-carotene/linoleic acid assay which demonstrated that CHE possess an inhibition ratio of the linoleic acid oxidation (83.11%) close to that of BHT (96.77%). In addition, the results showed that the extracts possess a potent DPPH radical scavenging activity and gave a reduction power greater than rutin, quercetin, gallic acid and ascorbic acid in FRAP assay. These results show that Teucrium polium extracts have strong antioxidant effects and may have some clinical benefits.