Antioxidant properties of a Tinospora cordifolia polysaccharide against iron-mediated lipid damage and gamma-ray induced protein damage.

The antioxidant activity of an arabinogalactan polysaccharide (TSP) isolated from Tinospora cordifolia, an Indian medicinal plant, was studied. The polysaccharide showed good protection against iron-mediated lipid peroxidation of rat brain homogenate as revealed by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) assays. TSP also provided significant protection to protein against gamma-ray induced damage. The protective action can possibly be explained by its very high reactivity towards DPPH, superoxide radicals and the most damaging of radicals, the hydroxyl radical.