Isolation and Identification of Antioxidant Compounds from Gynura Bicolor Stems and Leaves

The antioxidant compounds in the stems and leaves of Gynura bicolor were studied. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assays were employed to evaluate antioxidant capacity. By solvent extraction and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography in sequence, ethanol extracts of Gynura bicolor stems and leaves were fractionated to obtain their active fractions, which were further separated to obtain 12 compounds: 1–8 from stems, and four, 8–12, from leaves. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data (nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry). Among these substances, compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 with significant antioxidant activity were determined to be responsible active components for stems, and compounds 4, 8, and 12 for leaves.