The antioxidative effect of black garlic extract on paraquat-induced oxidative stress in ICR mice

We investigated the antioxidative effect of black garlic extract (BGE) on paraquat (PQ)-induced oxidative stress in mice. A DPPH radical scavenging activity assay showed that BGE had potent free radical scavenging activity, comparable to that exhibited by vitamin C. Mice were administered with either vitamin C or two levels of BGE by oral gavage for 10 days, with PQ being injected intraperitoneally on day five. It was found that BGE reduced the liver enzyme levels induced by PQ injection in mice. The concentrations of plasma and hepatic malonedialdehyde were both significantly reduced in the BGE groups compared with the levels in the PQ group, whereas the hepatic superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly increased in the BGE groups compared with the PQ group. These findings suggest that BGE has potent antioxidative activities in vivo and thus could prevent the oxidative stress induced by PQ injection in mice by two mechanisms: the induction of antixoxidative enzyme systems and direct scavenging of reactive oxygen species.