Comparative studies on the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera fruits

The chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the extracts and fractions from Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera fruits were comparatively studied here. Obvious differences were found in the yields and compositions of the essential oils, metal elements, polysaccharides, ethanol extracts and fractions of the two species. Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were different among the samples. Good correlation between antioxidant capacity and the content of phenolic and flavonols were found, which were R-2 = 0.8474 and R-2 = 0.7036, respectively. Various extracts and fractions provided different antioxidants, which demonstrated strong activities within the ethyl acetate fractions. These fractions might be valuable antioxidant natural sources and seemed to be applicable in both healthy medicine and food industry.