Antioxidant Activity of Aloeswood Tea in vitro

AIM: As a typical healthcare tea, aloeswood tea becomes more popular in China now. The present study tried to systematically evaluate the antioxidant ability in vitro of aloeswood tea for the first time. METHODS: Methanolic extract of aloeswood tea (MEAT) was prepared and measured by DPPH•, ABTS+•, •O2, •OH, reducing power (Fe3+ & Cu2+), lipid peroxidation, metal-chelating assays (Fe2+ & Cu2+). Then, the total phenol content was measured by spectrophotometre method. RESULTS: The IC50 values of MEAT were calculated as 11.63±0.16, 2.05±0.060, 7.73±0.35, 31.20±0.57, 18.56±1.60, 16.25±0.10, 0.49±0.05, 94.24±3.19, 134.01±7.04 μg/mL, respectively, for DPPH•, ABTS+•, •O2-, •OH, reducing power (Fe3+ & Cu2+), lipid peroxidation, metal-chelating assays (Fe2+ & Cu2+). The total phenol content in MEAT was found to be 157.41±6.51 mg GAE/g. CONCLUSION: Aloeswood tea shows excellent in vitro antioxidant activity which may contribute to its healthcare functions and pharmacological benefits. Its antioxidant ability could be attributed to phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids which may exert antioxidant action in vitro by both chelating metal ions, and scavenging free radicals via donating hydrogen atom (H•) or electron (e).