Antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities of ethanol extracts from Rhus chinensis Mill leaves

Ethanol extracts were obtained from Rhus chinensis Mill (RCM) leaves and used for antioxidant and antigenotoxic activity assays. IC50 values in DPPH assays were 15.96, 18.83, 20.43, 27.93, 37.43, 46.21, and 141.84 μg/mL for TPP, IPE, LLE, Vc, CE, BHT, and Trolox. Similar results were obtained using ABTS and FRAP assays. In vivo testing showed strong antioxidant activities that were positively correlated with polyphenol contents. Leaf tissue contained abundant polyphenols, and more than 10 phenolic compounds were detected in extracts. Quantitative results showed that quercetin-3-rhamnoside (26.4±0.76 mg/g of extract) was the most abundant ingredient, followed by hyperoside (15.2±0.42 mg/g of extract), quercetin (1.5±0.07mg/g of extract), and kaempferol (0.48±0.05 mg/g of extract). This study increases the knowledge for possible uses of forest by-products as a substitute for gallnuts.