Ilex aquifolium: protection against enzymatic and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation.

The ethanolic extract of Ilex aquifolium L. (Aquifoliaceae) concentration-dependently inhibited leukotriene B4 biosynthesis in isolated bovine PMNL with an IC50 value of about 60 micrograms/ml, whereas the effect on epidermal 12(S)-HETE biosynthesis was much less pronounced. The extract also inhibited the non-enzymatic, peroxyl radical-stimulated lipid peroxidation in model membranes and was further a scavenger of the iron-dependent generation of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide as determined by protection against deoxyribose degradation. While inhibition of leukotriene biosynthesis was not mediated by its known phenolic constituents such as hyperoside, rutoside, and chlorogenic acid, these compounds were responsible for the inhibitory effects of I. aquifolium against non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation and deoxyribose degradation.