Antioxidant Activities of Mongolian Medical Plants: Pentaphylloides fruticosa as a Traditional Source of Natural Antioxidants

Abstract

　A recent increase in lifestyle-related diseases has drawn attention to the disease-preventing and health-promoting effects of traditional foods. Although the standard Mongolian meal is based on animal-derived foods, lifestyle-related diseases in Mongolia are uncommon. The present study examined Mongolian medical plants naturally growing on steppes as a source of antioxidants. A total of 20 samples were collected, and methanol extracts of these plants were tested for antioxidant activity. A rosaceous plant, Pentaphylloides fruticosa (Mongolian name, Borolzgono; Japanese name, Kinro-Bai), had the highest antioxidant effect in the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical scavenging assay and the ferric rhodanate method and had the highest polyphenolic content. In Mongolia, tea made from P. fruticosa has been used to treat liver diseases, in which inflammation plays an important pathophysiological role. The polyphenolic components, as well as compounds such as ursolic acid, may have anti-inflammatory and cell-regulatory properties that contribute to liver protection.