In vitro investigation of antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities of Korean wild edible vegetable extracts and their correlation with apoptotic gene expression in HepG2 cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the biological activities, such as antioxidant and anticancer activities, of Korean wild edible vegetables. The total polyphenol content of Glehnia littoralis (Gle), Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina (Pru), Petasites japonicas (Pet), Isodon japonicas (Iso), and Tetragonia tetragonoides (Tet) extracts were 35, 193, 85, 100, and 31 mg/g, respectively. In the α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, Pru, Pet, and Iso extracts showed 45%, 24%, and 19% antioxidant activity, respectively. Moreover, Pru extracts also showed the highest ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) value (170 mM). In HepG2 cells, Tet and Pru extracts showed 39% and 28% anticancer activity, respectively. Assessment of apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells showed that, compared to the control, p53, p21, and Bax expression levels increased in the presence of the extracts, while Bcl-2 expression was downregulated.