Functional components of bamboo shavings and bamboo leaf extracts and their antioxidant activities in vitro.

This study was designed to detect characteristic compounds and evaluate the free radical scavenging capacity of the bamboo leaves extract and bamboo shavings extract (BSE). The antioxidant capacity of bamboo leaf n-butanol fraction (AOB) exhibited the highest total phenolic content (49.93%), total flavonoids content (24.11%), and characteristic flavonoids and phenolic acids, such as chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, orientin, homoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin. Available data obtained with in vitro models suggested that AOB had higher free radical scavenging capacity with IC(50) values of 1.04, 4.48, 5.37, and 1.12 μg/mL on DPPH(•), O(2)(•-), (•)OH, and H(2)O(2), respectively, than the other two extracts, bamboo leaf water extract and BSE. The results indicated that the extracts from different parts of the bamboo possess excellent antioxidant activity, which can be used potentially as a readily accessible and valuable bioactive source of natural antioxidants.