Evaluation of antioxidant activity of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.)

In present study, water extract of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) (WECM) was studied for antioxidant properties. The antioxidant properties of WECM were evaluated using different antioxidant tests, including reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and metal chelating activities. These properties may be the major reason for the inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The concentration of 20, 40 and 60 mu g ml(-1) of WECM showed 75.8, 93.4 and 97.5% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. On the other hand, 60 mu g ml(-1) of standard antioxidants such as BHA, BHT and a-tocopherol exhibited 96.5, 99.2 and 61.1% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. In addition, the WECM had effective reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and metal chelating activities at the same concentrations (20, 40, and 60 mu g ml(-1)). Those various antioxidant activities were compared to reference antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and (x-tocopherol. In addition, total phenolic compounds in the WECM were determined as gallic acid equivalent.