Potential biomedical properties of Pinus massoniana bark extract

This study examined the potential biomedical properties of a bark extract from Pinus massoniana Lamb (PMBE). Its antioxidant activity, superoxide anion radical scavenging and free radical scavenging activities were examined. The antioxidant activity in a linoleic acid emulsion increased with increasing amounts of PMBE, with 100, 300 and 500 µg PMBE inhibiting 64.7%, 68.6% and 76.6% of peroxidation, respectively. Similarly, the radical scavenging activity by PMBE increased in a dose‐dependent manner, suggesting that there may be a correlation between the antioxidant and scavenging activities. In addition, the effect of PMBE on human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL‐7402 cells and normal liver L‐02 cells was investigated in vitro . PMBE appeared to inhibit selectively the growth of BEL‐7402 and slightly promoted the growth of L‐02. Taken together, the results indicate that PMBE is a natural antioxidant that could potentially be used as a food supplement or as a candidate precursor substance for new anticancer therapeutics. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.