Sorbus domestica Leaf Extracts and Their Activity Markers: Antioxidant Potential and Synergy Effects in Scavenging Assays of Multiple Oxidants

Sorbus domestica leaves are a traditionally used herbal medicine recommended for the treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases. Dry leaf extracts (standardized by LC-MS/MS and LC-PDA) and nine model activity markers (polyphenols), were tested in scavenging assays towards six in vivo-relevant oxidants (O-2(center dot-), OH center dot, NO center dot, H2O2, ONOO-, HClO). Ascorbic acid (AA) and Trolox (TX) were used as positive standards. The most active extracts were the diethyl ether and ethyl acetate fractions with activities in the range of 3.61-20.03 mu mol AA equivalents/mg, depending on the assay. Among the model compounds, flavonoids were especially effective in OH center dot scavenging, while flavan-3-ols were superior in O-2(center dot-) quenching. The most active constituents were quercetin, (-)-epicatechin, procyanidins B2 and C1 (3.94-24.16 mu mol AA/mg), but considering their content in the extracts, isoquercitrin, (-)-epicatechin and chlorogenic acid were indicated as having the greatest influence on extract activity. The analysis of the synergistic effects between those three compounds in an O-2(center dot-) scavenging assay demonstrated that the combination of chlorogenic acid and isoquercitrin exerts the greatest influence. The results indicate that the extracts possess a strong and broad spectrum of antioxidant capacity and that their complex composition plays a key role, with various constituents acting complementarily and synergistically.