Antioxidant Activity of Flavonoids and Their Glucosides from Sonchus oleraceus L.

Eight compounds, including 2 flavones, luteolin (1) and apigenin (2), 2 flavonols, kaempferol (3) and quercetin (4), and 4 flavonoid glucosides, luteolin-7-O-${\beta}$-D-glucoside (5), apigetrin (6), astragalin (7), and isoquercitrin (8), isolated from the whole herb of Sonchus oleraceus L. were analyzed on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. This was the first time to report compounds 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 from the Sonchus oleraceus L. The antioxidant activities of the isolated flavonoids and their glucoside derivatives were evaluated by DPPH free radical-scavenging assay, showing that compounds 1, 3, 4 and 8 exhibited stronger antioxidant activities compared with ${\alpha}$, tocopherol and curcumin. Flavonoids containing more hydroxyl groups exhibited better antioxidant activities. The antioxidant activity of flavonols was superior to their corresponding flavones, and that of aglycone are more potent than their glucoside derivatives.