• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.297-301
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• 2012

In the course of screening for antioxidant compounds by measuring the radical scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), a total extract of the twigs of Taxillus delavayi (Loranthaceae) was found to show potent radical scavenging activity. Subsequent activity-guided fractionation of the methanolic extract led to the isolation of two phenolic compounds, catechin (1) and galloyl catechin (2), as active principles. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic studies. These two compounds showed the significant antioxidative effects on DPPH, and riboflavin- and xanthin-originated superoxide quenching activities. And these two compounds also showed strong nitric oxide radical scavenging effects. In riboflavin- and xanthin-originated superoxide quenching activities and nitric oxide radical scavenging effect, compound 2 showed better antioxidant activities than vitamin C.