Chemical composition, antioxidant and macromolecule damage protective effects of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth

•Iridoid glucosides, pikrosides and flavonoids were identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS from Picrorhiza kurroa(PKE).•P. kurroa showed antioxidant activity.•PKE exhibited DNA damage protective effects.•PKE also showed protein and lipid damage protective effects.

In the present study, we identified the chemical constituents of 70% hydroalcoholic fraction of Picrorhiza kurroa by LC–ESI–MS/MS which showed the presence of iridoid glucosides such as picroside I, picroside II, picroside III, picroside IV, kutkoside, pikuroside and flavonoids like apocynin and vanillic acid. P. kurroa exhibited DPPH radical scavenging and metal chelating activities with IC50 of 75.16 ± 3.2 and 55.5 ± 4.8 μg/mL and also showed potent reducing power and total antioxidant activities. The extract inhibited macromolecule damage such as H2O2 induced plasmid DNA damage and AAPH induced oxidation of bovine serum albumin and lipid peroxidation of rat hepatic tissues.