An in vitro study of the antioxidant activities and effect on human DNA of the Chinese herbal decoction ‘liu wei di huang’

A Chinese medicinal formulation, ‘Liu Wei Di Huang’, and its individual components have been tested for the genoprotective effect on human DNA by the comet assay. Results showed no DNA protection contributed by this prescription. However, the aqueous extracts of individual herbs, namely Cortex Moutan and Rhizoma Dioscoreae, were able to decrease by 10–15% the DNA stand break from hydrogen peroxide-mediated oxidative stress. This provides insight to further evaluate the interaction among herbs and the search for the active ingredient responsible for the DNA protective effect