Cc. Lin et al., EVALUATION OF THE ANTIINFLAMMATORY HEPATOPROTECTIVE AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF LYCIUM CHINENSE FROM TAIWAN, Phytomedicine, 4(3), 1997, pp. 213-220
The relationship between pharmacological and antioxidant activity of t
he roots, aerial parts and fruits gathered from Lycium chinense were i
nvestigated in this study. The extracts of L. chinense showed anti-inf
lammatory activity against carrageenan induced rat paw edema and CCl4-
induced liver injury. Lycium chinense also exhibited antioxidant effec
ts in FeCl2-ascorbic acid-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homo
genates. Moreover, the free radical scavenger effect of L. chinense wa
s demonstrated using electron spin resonance (ESR) and a spin-trapping
technique. Based on these findings, the pharmacological of L. chinens
e possibly involves mechanisms related to free radical scavenger activ
ity.