Antioxidant activity of Sophora japonica embryo cells in a suspension culture system

To provide a theoretical basis for the structure-activity theory of antioxidant activity for extracted flavonoids, a study was conducted on the antioxidant activity of flavonoid production after a suspension culture of S. japonica embryo cells. Antioxidant activity of crude flavonoids extracted from callus of the S. japonica embryo was not only studied with the method of scavenging hydroxyls, superoxide radicals, and nitrites; but also with the method of inhibiting self-oxidation of linoleic acid and pig oil. Results revealed that when the mass concentration was 354.00 mg·L-1, with an increasing concentration of flavonoids, the free radical scavenging activity (1) of a hydroxyl radical was reinforced with a scavenging ratio on the hydroxyl radical of 96.58%, which is significantly higher than the scavenging activity of vitamin C (P=0.001), (2) of the superoxide radical was reinforced with a scavenging ratio on the superoxide radical of 61.54%, which is much lower than the scavenging activity of vitamin C (P=0.001), and (3) of nitrite was reinforced with a scavenging ratio on nitrite of 79.91%, which is higher than the scavenging activity of vitamin C (P=0.001). (4) The crude flavonoid extract could inhibit the self-oxidation of linoleic acid, which is with an inhibitive effect lower than the scavenging activity of vitamin C (P=0.001) and (5) of the self-oxidation of pig oil was inhibited. Taken together, obvious antioxidant activity was shown in flavonoid production for a suspension culture system of fructus sophoraeembryo cells with a greater concentration of flavonoid extract, for certain ranges of concentrations, having better antioxidant activity.