The Antioxidative and Antimicrobial Effects of Celastrus orbiculatus

This study was carried out to investigate the antioxidative and antimicrobial activities of Celastrus orbiculatus (CO). CO was extracted with methanol and then further fractionated with n-hexane (COMH), butanol (COMB), methanol (COMM) or aqueous (COMA) to get active fractions. The antioxidative activity of fractions from CO was investigated by measuring the scavenging activities of CO against DPPH radical, peroxynitrite () and reactive oxygen speicies (ROS). Among the various solvent fractions, the COMB showed a marked scavenging effect against DPPH radical, peroxynitrite () and reactive oxygen species(ROS). The antimicrobial activity was increased in proportion to its concentration by the paper disk method. Among the various solvent fractions, the COMM and COMB fractions of CO showed strong antimicrobial activities. The results suggest that The CO may be suitable for development as a food preservative and alternative antioxidant.