Total Phenolic, Total Flavonoid and Antioxidant Activity of Euonymus fortunei by HPLC-Based Analysis

Euonymus fortunei is one of the most important folk medicinal plants in Guangxi of China and also used as a healthy tea for enhancement of immunity and disease resistance. The ethanol crude extract and its fractions of E. fortunei were investigated to determine their total phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as their antioxidant activity, which assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diamonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging assay. Its' compositions were analyzed by HPLC. The ethyl acetate fraction possesses the high total phenolic and total flavonoid with the contents of 707.2 mg gallic acid equivalents and 581 mg rutin equivalents g(-1) extract, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction also exhibited the strongest activity with EC50 value of 0.25 mg/mL, followed by the n-butanol fraction, while petroleum ether and water fractions were less active than crude extract. HPLC analysis of the ethanol crude extracts indicated the presence of a large number of flavonoids and its' glycosides. E. fortunei could be used as an important natural source of antioxidants and a substantial source of healthy tea, as well as a medicinal plant.