This report describes the antioxidant characteristics of methanolic extracts from broad beans (Vicia fava). The methanolic extracts of broad beans (MEBB) exhibited a marked scavenging effect on superoxide. MEBB also exerted scavenging activities on hydrogen peroxide and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical. The radical scavenging activity of MEBB was highest when the scavenging effect of MEBB on Superoxide (IC50 = 0.15 mg/ml) was examined. These results suggest that MEBB have effective activities both as a radical scavenger and as a hydrogen donor. The chelating activity of MEBB (0.70 mg/ml) on Fe2+ and Cu2+ was 31.2% and 28.5%, respectively. The antioxidant effect of MEBB on lipid peroxidation might be attributed to their properties of scavenging free-radical species and their chelating activity on metal ions. The antioxidant activity of MEBB against tert-butyl hydroperoxide (BHP)-induced oxidative stress in WI-38 cells was assessed. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured as indices of oxidative stress. WI-38 cells incubated with 0.1 mM BHP for 2 hr exhibited the increase of SOD, catalase and GSH-Px activities over the control. When the cells incubated in MEBB (45–450 μg/ml) for 18 hr were subjected to a BHP challenge test, SOD activity returned to its control value or lower at all levels tested. When catalase activity was determined, a similar trend occurred except in the cells incubated in 112.5 μ g/ml MEBB. These results imply that MEBB inhibit oxidative stress in WI-38 cells.
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