• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.365-373
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• 2005

Antioxidative activities of methanol extracts of 7 natural products which have been orientally used or studied as ophthalmic drugs were investigated. All of 7 extracts assayed - Rubus coreanus, Dendrobium monile, Eriocaulon sieboldianum, Ligustrum japonicum, Cassia tora, Cicadae Periostacum and Polygonatum odoratum var pluriflorum had some electron-donating ability to OPPH radicals, in which R. coreanus and D. monile showed strong activity as similar as ascorbic acid or BHT. At the concentration of $200{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, methanol extract of L. japonicum showed superoxide dismutase-like activity the same as 0.1 mM ascorbic acid and methanol extract of R. coreanus inhibited effectively the production of ABTS radical produced by $H_2O_2$. Furthermore, methanol extract of C. tora showed the highest nitrite scavenging ability. The inherent antioxidative activities of these natural products appear to be responsible for its ophthalmic effects.