The Synergistic Effect of Antioxidant Interaction between Luteolin and Chlorogenic Acid in Lonicera japonica

Abstract

Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a flower that is used in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent the common cold. The two primary active compounds of the flower bud are luteolin, a flavonoid, and chlorogenic acid, a phenolic acid. Both active compounds have demonstrated antioxidant activity. The interactions between chemicals in a plant heavily influences its total antioxidant activity. We attempted to investigate the antioxidant interactions between the two chemicals in the plant. This study aims to investigate if the antioxidants luteolin and chlorogenic acid have a synergistic effect to inhibit free radicals when combined. A 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH*) assay was performed. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of luteolin and chlorogenic acid were first determined and then combined at a 1:1 ratio. The combined inhibition capacity was then compared with the sum of the individual inhibition capacities. The IC50 of luteolin is 26.304 g{middle dot}ml-1 {+/-} 0.120 g{middle dot}ml-1 while the IC50 of chlorogenic acid is 85.529 g{middle dot}ml-1 {+/-} 4.482 g{middle dot}ml-1. The combined solution produced a free radical percentage inhibition of 77.617% {+/-} 5.470%, more than the percentage inhibition of the separate solutions. The experiment shows that luteolin and chlorogenic acid have a synergistic effect in inhibiting DPPH free radicals.