CHED 272 |
| Antioxidant compounds from natural products can serve as protective agents against reactive oxygen species, which have been shown to be important in aging, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Five herbs, extracted using several solvent systems, were tested for antioxidant activity. Red root (RR), Ceanothus americanus, and blue violet leaf (BVL), Viola odorata, contained the highest antioxidant activity and were most efficiently extracted with 70:30 acetone:water. These extracts were further evaluated for phenolic and proanthrocyanidin content. Fractionation of the extracts was performed using LH-20 Sephadex to separate the mixture into simple phenolics, dimers/trimers of flavanoids and larger tannins. Each fraction was characterized as before. The RR extract contained relatively high amounts of complex polyphenolics (tannins), while the BVL extract had higher levels of simple phenolics and dimers/trimers. These extracts had comparable levels of antioxidant activity and phenolic content to known antioxidant supplements: green tea, bilberry, and grape seed extracts. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Analytical Chemistry
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |