Chemical compositions, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and radical-scavenging activities of Actinidia callosa var. ephippioides

Oxidative stress and inflammation are related to several chronic diseases including cancer. Actinidia callosa var. ephippioides (ACE) is a special folk medicinal plant from Taiwan. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities of the methanol extract and fractions from the stem of ACE. Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC), 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, total phenolic content, flavonoid content, inhibition on nitric oxide (NO) productions by LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell, and on lung cancer cell proliferation were employed. Among all fractions, ethyl-acetate fraction (EA-ACE) showed higher TEAC, DPPH radical scavenging activities, polyphenol and flavonoid contents, respectively. EA-ACE also decreased the LPS-induced NO production and expressions of inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) in RAW264.7 cells. EA-ACE had the highest antiproliferative activity with an IC₅₀ (The concentrations required for inhibition of 50% of cell viability) of 469.17 ± 3.59 μg/mL. Catechin also had good effects in the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Catechin might be an important bioactive compound in the stem of ACE. The above experimental data indicated that the stem of ACE is a potent antioxidant medicinal plant, and such efficacy may be mainly attributed to its polyphenolic compounds.