Antioxidant Activities of Vaccinium uliginosum L. Extract and Its Active Components

Abstract Vaccinium uliginosum L. (also known as bog bilberry) is a low-growing deciduous shrub classified in the Ericaceae family of plants, which includes numerous Vaccinium berries, blueberries, and cranberries. Berries of the Ericaceae family are known to contain organic acids, vitamins, glycosides, and anthocyanins and have been reported to have antioxidant activity. In order to identify the antioxidative principles of V. uliginosum, we separated water extracts into polyphenol, anthocyanin-rich (pigment), and sugar/acid fractions by using ethyl acetate, acidic methanol (MeOH), and 0.01 N HCl. Antioxidant activities were assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide radical, and hydroxyl radical assays. The crude extract and fractions containing polyphenol and pigment exhibited the greatest antioxidant activities with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 85.8 μg/mL, 33.2 μg/mL, and 16.7 μg/mL, respectively, for the DPPH assay and 48.1 μg/mL, 83.8 μg/mL, and 51.9 μg/mL for the no...