Antioxidant properties of lotus seed and its effect on DNA damage in human lymphocytes

The antioxidant properties of lotus seeds extracts and their effect on DNA damage in human lymphocytes were investigated. The results showed that boiling water extracts of lotus seeds (WELS) exhibited stronger antioxidant activity and that boiling water gave higher yields of extracts than other organic solvents. The WELS showed significant chelating binding on ferrous ions and marked interaction with hydrogen peroxide. Phenolic acids including caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid and large amounts of phenolic compounds, as found in WELS, were conjectured to be responsible for the antioxidant activity of WELS. The WELS showed neither changes on lipid peroxidation nor DNA damage in human lymphocytes with or without inducement by hydrogen peroxide.