Aqueous and ethanol sprout extracts of Brassica oleracea L. var. sabauda exhibit oxidant and antioxidant activities

Sprouts are excellent examples of functional food defined as lowering the risk of various diseases and/or exerting health promoting effects in addition to its nutritive value contain. Antioxidant compounds, contained in wheat and Brussels sprouts, resulted active in the protection of DNA against the oxidative stress induced by ROS. The aim of this work was to determine antioxidant activity of aqueous and ethanol extracts from savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. sabauda) sprout powder. Antioxidizing capacities of the extracts were measured in vitro using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays. Antioxidant and prooxidant activity of sprout extracts in a cell-based assay (human dermal cell line) was determined using 2’,7’-dichlorofluorescin-diacetate (DCFH-DA). Significant values of in vitro antioxidant activity were found in aqueous and ethanol extracts. Aqueous sprout extract showed a dose-dependent prooxidant activity, higher than ethanol extract in a cell-based assay. The prooxidant activity was correlated with the inhibition of cell proliferation and proved thermolabile.