Antioxidative and mutagenic properties of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides Sieb & zucc.

This study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidative activity and mutagenic properties of the extracts from Zanthoxylum ailanthoides Sieb & zucc. The extracts of the plants were prepared as follows: 50% ethanolic extract of the stem (SE) and leaf (LE), and water extract of the stem (SW) and leaf (LW). The antioxidative activities, including α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging effect, reducing power, and antioxidative effect on Fe2+/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation in a liposome model system, were studied in vitro. The results showed that all tested extracts had antioxidative characteristics, including the abilities of radical-scavenging, reducing, and lipid peroxidation inhibition. It was found that the antioxidative activities of all the extracts increased with the increase of their concentrations. No mutagenicity effect toward all tester strains (Salmonella typhimurium TA97, TA98, TA100, TA102, and TA1535) was found in the extracts of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides Sieb & zucc. by means of the Ames test. The results suggested that the Zanthoxylum ailanthoides Sieb & zucc. extracts were safe in genotoxicity and were antioxidants.