ESR SPECTROSCOPY INVESTIGATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PROTECTIVE EFFECT ON HYDROXYL RADICAL-INDUCED DNA DAMAGE OF ENZYMATIC EXTRACTS FROM PICRORRHIZA KURROA

The potential antioxidant activity of enzymatic extracts from Picrorrhiza kurroa was evaluated on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, hydroxyl radical and alkyl radical-scavenging activities using an electron spin resonance spectrometer (JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). P. kurroa was enzymatically hydrolyzed by seven carbohydrases and five proteases to prepare water-soluble extracts. The DPPH radical-scavenging activities of the pancreatic trypsin and Amyloglucosidase (AMG) (artificial carbohydrase by Novozyme Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) extracts from P. kurroa were the highest among protease and carbohydrase extracts, and 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were 35.58 and 29.03 mu g/mL, respectively. The hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity of the Protamex and Viscozyme extracts from P. kurroa were the highest scavenging activities, and the IC50 values were 0.46 and 1.89 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, the Protamex and Maltogenase extracts from P. kurroa showed the highest alkyl radical-scavenging activities, and the IC50 values were 18.03 and 10.66 mu g/mL, respectively. The protective effect of the Protamex extracts from P. kurroa on DNA damage which was free radical-induced was 92% at 3 mg/mL. These results indicate that enzymatic extracts of P. kurroa show potent antioxidant activity.