Isolation of Luteolin 7-O-rutinoside and Esculetin with Potential Antioxidant Activity from the Aerial Parts of Artemisia montana

The antioxidant activity of Artemisia montana was determined by measuring the radical scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and inhibitory activity against free radical generation of hepatocytes ($AC_2$F). The methanol extract of A. montana showed strong radical scavenging activity at a concentration of $10.1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, and thus fractionated by solvent extraction. Esculetin and luteolin 7-O-rutinoside (scolymoside) were isolated as the active principles from the EtOAc and interphase fractions, respectively. The antioxidant activity of these compounds were comparable to that of L-ascorbic acid.