Protective effects of ethanolic extracts of buckwheat groats on DNA damage caused by hydroxyl radicals

Buckwheat, including common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Möehch) and tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum Tartaricum Gaerth), is widely cultivated in the northwest part of China and its groats is rich in antioxidant compounds. In order to understand its antioxidant activity, the protective effects of the ethanolic extracts from four buckwheat groats on DNA damage caused by hydroxyl radical are examined by two different methods, and the reducing power, chelating activity, and total phenolic contents are also determined. The results show that the buckwheat ethanol extracts (BEE) possess strong capability to protect DNA from being damaged by hydroxyl radical, which may be attributed to their chelating activity on iron and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Among the four buckwheat samples, ethanol extracts from two tartary buckwheat samples show that its DNA protective ability is higher than that from two common buckwheat samples because of their high rutin, quercetin and phenolic content.