Preliminary phytochemical and biological activities study of solvent extracts from a cold-field fruit—Malus baccata (Linn.) Borkh

• Acetone was the most effective solvent for extracting total active compounds from M. baccata.
• The solvent extracts from M. baccata had significant antioxidant activities in vitro.
• The extracts had significant immunomodulation and anti-radiation activities in vitro.
• The presence of chlorogenic acid, quercetin 3-galactoside, phloridzin and cinnamic acid in M. baccata was first reported.
• The phenolic compounds in M. baccata were the major contributors to functional utilities.

Radiation can lead to oxidative stress in organism. Defense against oxidative stress is important in preventing the development of diseases. This study investigated in vitro antioxidant and immunomodulation potential of Malus baccata (Linn.) Borkh., also the effectiveness of different solvent for extracting active compounds was obtained by HPLC. Of all the solvents employed, acetone extract possessed the highest amounts of total phenolic (975.7 ± 29.2 mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoids (824.9 ± 27.7 mg CE/100 g), with the highest capacities for scavenging ABTS+· (136.49 ± 1.16 μmol TE/g), DPPH· (18.60 ± 0.28 μmol TE/g) and OH· (32.37 ± 0.7 mg VCE/g). The extracts all dose-dependently promoted splenocyte proliferation and inhibited splenocyte apoptosis induced by γ-radiation. HPLC analyses of the solvent extracts tentatively revealed the presence of chlorogenic acid, quercetin 3-galactoside, phloridzin and cinnamic acid. The extract could be source of natural antioxidant and immunomodulation agents for applications in functional foods.