In comparison with vitamin C and butylated hydroxytoluene, the antioxidant capacity of aqueous extracts from buds and flowers of Lonicera japonica Thunb.

To assess the antioxidant capacity of aqueous extracts of buds and flowers of Lonicera japonica Thunb. (BLJ and FLJ) using in vitro assays.We assessed the in vitro antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts of BLJ and FLJ and compared with that of classical antioxidants vitamin C and butylated hydroxytoluene, using several well-established methods including the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl assay, 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay, reducing power assay, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assay, ¦Â-carotene bleaching assay, ferric thiocyanate assay, and thiobarbituric acid method.The aqueous extracts of both BLJ and FLJ had similarly potent antioxidant capacity. There were no significance differences between BLJ and FLJ in all the assays.The aqueous extracts of both BLJ and FLJ have antioxidant activity with comparable efficacy. These findings suggest that both BLJ and FLJ may have the potential as natural antioxidants.