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 (O2&bull
&minus
OH&bull
NO&bull
H2O2, ONOO&minus
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&ndash
20.03 &micro
mol AA equivalents/mg, depending on the assay. Among the model compounds, flavonoids were especially effective in OH&bull
scavenging, while flavan-3-ols were superior in O2&bull
quenching. The most active constituents were quercetin, (&minus
)-epicatechin, procyanidins B2 and C1 (3.94&ndash
24.16 &micro
mol AA/mg), but considering their content in the extracts, isoquercitrin, (&minus
)-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 O2&bull
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.