Flavones from a natural tea (the leaves of Armeniaca sibirica L.) prevent oxidative stress-induced neuronal death

The leaves of Armeniaca sibirica L. (A. sibirica) are becoming increasingly popular as a functional natural tea, which had numerous medicinal and nutritional properties. Chemical investigation of the leaves of A. sibirica led to the isolation of nine flavones (1-9), and their structures were elucidated using NMR spectroscopic data as well as HR-ESI-MS analysis. In this study, we evaluated the potential of the isolated components to prevent H2O2-induced cell injury in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and 7 (quercetin-3-O-(6-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside) showed the greatest effect, then further investigation about the mechanism of 7 on neuro-protection was carried out. The results offered a scientific basis for the further development of A. sibirica and provided an antioxidative agent for treating oxidative stress-related disorders.