Biological Activities of Water and Ethanolic Extracts from Allium victorialis L. Mature Leaves

Allium victorialis L. (A. victorialis) is a very popular vegetable in Korea. The most commonly used parts of this vegetable are the bulbs and young leaves. To determine if the mature leaves have any beneficial properties, we investigated antioxidant, anti-α-glucosidase, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities of water and ethanol extracts from A. victorialis. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring total phenolic content, DPPH and superoxide radicals scavenging activities. The water extract from A. victorialis (W·A. victorialis) exhibited higher antioxidant ability than the ethanol extract (E·A. victorialis). Moreover, the water extract showed strong inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase. On the other hand, the ethanol extract had greater anti-inflammatory activity on murine macrophage cells (RAW 264.7) and greater anticancer activities against human colon cancer cells (HT-29). These results suggest that mature leaves from E·A. victorialis may have health-enhancing effects.