Abstract

Perilla frutescens is a common traditional Chinese medicinal plant used to treat a variety of diseases. The methanolic extracts from different parts of P. frutescens were evaluated for their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. The antioxidant activities of P. frutescens were evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging methods. Reducing power, metal chelating ability, total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were also detected. In all the tested models, the methanolic extracts of stalk, leaf and seed of P. frutescens showed their ability to scavenge the free radicals, reducing power and chelating capacity in a does-dependent manner. The antiproliferative activities of methanolic extracts from different parts of P. frutescens were also studied in vitro by using human non-small cell lung A549 cancer cells. The methanolic extract of stalk exhibited moderate antiproliferative activity. The methanolic extract of stalk had higher antioxidant and antiproliferative activities than of leaf and seed. These results indicated that stalk of P. frutescens might be used as a potential source of natural antioxidants and as an anti-tumor agent.

Key words: Perilla frutescens, methanolic extract, antioxidant activity, radical scavenging, reducing power, antiproliferative.