ABSTRACT

The wild plant Campanumoea lancifolia (Roxb.) Merr (also called Hong Guo ginseng, HGG), is naturally distributed in a Hmong minority area in western Hunan Province, China. The objective of this study was to identify, quantify, and elucidate the polyphenols and anthocyanins, and their antioxidant activities (via 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2ʹ-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging abilities) tested in vitro in the whole fruit, fruit skin, fruit pulp, and leaves of the plant. Results showed that Total polyphenol content (TPC) was highest in leaves (97.76 mg/g), followed by whole fruit (18.18 mg/g), fruit skin (26.16 mg/g), and fruit pulp (8.99 mg/g). Total anthocyanin content (TAC) in fruit skin was the highest at 27.44 mg/g, compared with leaves (20.18 mg/g), whole fruit (12.94 mg/g), and fruit pulp (4.36 mg/g). DPPH scavenging ability and ABTS scavenging ability test followed a decreasing order with the highest ability in leaves, fruit skin, whole fruit, and fruit pulp. Main phenolic compounds (chlorogenic acid, rutin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, and apigenin) were also highest in leaves. Phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in whole fruit and leaves were further identified using UPLC-QTOF-MS, resulting in the identification of six phenolic acids and their derivatives, seventeen flavonoids and their derivatives, and two anthocyanins observed. These results thus provide the phytochemical evidence to explain and understand the medical and health benefits of HGG.