Quantification of caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid and antioxidant activities of hot-water extracts from leaves of Perilla frutescens

The principal objective of this investigation was to identify adequate species for the harvest of Perilla frutescens leaves, which provide profound antioxidant activities, and harbor abundant caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid. Namchun, Donggeul-2, Bora, Sae-bora and Neul-bora variants of the plant were assessed herein. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant effects of these plants, and utilized an HPLC system to verify their caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid contents. Dried Perilla frutescens leaves were boiled at a temperature of 100°C for three hours and were lyopholized in a freezedryer. The extracts were then processed in order to confirm their antioxidant activities via 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging activity assay, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, total flavonoid content and total polyphenol content assays. According to the observed antioxidant results of the five tested species of Perilla frutescens leaves, Bora and Donggeul-2 were shown to have more potent antioxidant activities than the other tested variants. The scavenge 50% of DPPH radical (SC₅₀ of DPPH) values were 241 μg DM/mL in Donggeul-2 and 261 μg DM/mL in Bora. Based on the results of the FRAP assay, the Bora variant showed a value of 796 mM FeSO₄ 7H₂O/g DM, and Donggeul-2 exhibited a value of 748 mM FeSO ₄ 7H₂O/g DM, of which the total polyphenol contents were measured as 69.4 g GAE/kg DM and 61.8 g GAE/kg DM, respectively. Moreover, the Bora variant had the highest level of caffeic acid, and Donggeul-2 showed the highest rosmarinic acid content among the tested samples (0.87 mg/100 g wet base and 121 mg/100 g wet base, respectively). According to the results of this experiment, we selected two species, Bora and Donggeul-2, which were both verified to contain adequate and favorable antioxidant activities.