Chemical Components and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Hedysarum Polybotrys Hand.-Mazz. Leaves and Root: A Comparative Study

Highlights Hedysarum polybotrys leaves have high levels of bioactive chemicals. H. polybotrys leaves have much stronger antioxidant activity than the root. The leaves may have a bright future if used as bioactive resources and antioxidants. The leaves should be a good material used in other fields with health and economic benefits. Abstract. Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz. is a valuable plant that is usually used in food and medicine. The dry roots are important materials for chemical and medicinal applications, only a few researchers were concerned about the above-ground part though they contain various chemicals and nutrients. In this work, the chemical components and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the leaves were analyzed and compared with those of the roots. The results showed that compared to the roots the leaves contained much higher levels of polyphenol (13.11%), flavonoids (15.68%), and protein (26.49%) than the root (0.94%, 1.39%, 18.52%); higher levels of some important minerals, especially Fe (106.00 mg/kg) and Mn (20.40 mg/kg) than the root (88.80 mg/kg, 7.64 mg/kg); higher ratios of some essential fatty acids (alpha-linoleic acid); in particular, exhibited much stronger DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging abilities and reducing power activities than HR. Therefore, the leaves contain various chemical components and much stronger antioxidant and broader antimicrobial activities than the roots, which indicates that they functioned as bioactive resources and antioxidants might have abundant health and economic benefits. The leaves and root extracts may have commercial potentials used by the food industry. Keywords: Antioxidant, Chemical components, Hedysarum polybotrys, Leaves.