In vitro antioxidant activity of acetone extracts from Chinese herb agrimony leaves

The purpose of this study was to evaluate antioxidant activities of the ethyl acetate soluble fraction (ESF) and butanol soluble fraction (BSF) of agrimony acetone extract. The ESF and BSF were investigated for their antioxidant activities by means of the 2, 2-diphenhyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2, 2-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), beta-carotene-linoleate and hydroxyl radical assay. The IC50 values of ESF were 8.76, 7.28, 13.56 and 1.76 mu g/ml, respectively in four assays. Similarly, BSF IC50 values were 9.77, 7.96, 8.61 and 2.57 mu g/ml. The present study showed that both ESF and BSF have more effective antioxidant than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). It was concluded that agrimony might be a potential source of antioxidants.