Schisandra chinensis have been traditionally used in Asia for the treatment of dyspnea, cough, mouth dryness, spontaneous diaphoresis, nocturnal diaphoresis, nocturnal emission, dysentery, insomnia and amnesia. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the protective effects of Schisandra chinensis on oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation induced by ROS in non cellular and cellular system. DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay were used to measure the antioxidant activities. Phi X-174RF I plasmid DNA cleavage assay and intracellular DNA migration assay were used to evaluate the protective effect on oxidative DNA damage. MTT assay and lipid peroxidation assay were used for evaluating the protective effect on oxidative cell damage. It was found to scavenge DPPH radical, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical and it inhibited oxidative DNA damage, lipid peroxidation and cell death induced by hydroxyl radical. These data indicate that Schisandra chinensis possesses a spectrum of antioxidant and DNA-protective properties

• Jin-Boo Jeong
• Hyung-Jin Jeong