Flavonoids have attracted considerable attention due to their health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the flavonoid profiles and antioxidant activity of Paeonia lactiflora petal flavonoid extract (PPF). The UHPLC-ESI-Q-Exactive HF MS/MS method was established for characterization, and 21 predominant flavonoid compounds were tentatively identified in PPF. Among them, isoscutellarein-7-(6′-acetylallosyl-(1->2)-glucoside) and scutellarin methylester were discovered in PPF for the first time. Pretreatment with PPF significantly reduced H₂O₂-induced cell damage, ROS accumulation, and malondialdehyde content and increased the activity of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px in buffalo rat liver 3A (BRL3A) cells. Moreover, the expression of nuclear Factor E2-related factor (Nrf2) was upregulated by PPF, whose expression trend was consistent with that of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1). These findings suggested that herbaceous peony flavonoids can be used as a natural bioactive agent to prevent oxidative stress.

类黄酮因其对健康的益处而引起了相当大的关注。本研究旨在研究芍药花瓣类黄酮提取物 (PPF) 的类黄酮成分和抗氧化活性。建立了 UHPLC-ESI-Q-Exactive HF MS/MS 方法进行表征，初步鉴定出 PPF 中的 21 种主要黄酮类化合物。其中，异灯盏花素-7-(6'-乙酰基丙糖基-(1->2)-葡萄糖苷)和灯盏花乙素甲酯是首次在PPF中发现。用 PPF 预处理可显着降低 H ₂ O ₂-诱导细胞损伤、ROS 积累和丙二醛含量，并增加水牛大鼠肝脏 3A (BRL3A) 细胞中 SOD、CAT 和 GSH-Px 的活性。此外，核因子E2相关因子（Nrf2）的表达被PPF上调，其表达趋势与血红素加氧酶-1（HO-1）、谷氨酸-半胱氨酸连接酶催化亚基（GCLC）和NAD（ P)H 醌氧化还原酶-1 (NQO1)。这些发现表明，牡丹类黄酮可用作天然生物活性剂，以防止氧化应激。