Abstract

Introduction. Persea americana (avocado) fruit is known to be a rich source of proteins and minerals, as well as vitamins. Although many biological activities have been reported for avocado fruit, far less attention has been paid to the biological properties of its lipid-soluble bioactive substances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antihemolytic activity of lipid-soluble bioactive compounds of avocado fruit. Materials and methods. Antioxidant and antihemolytic activity of lipid-soluble bioactive compounds of avocado fruit was assessed by employing different methods. Also, the ability of avocado fruit to protect fluorescein against oxidant-induced bleaching was evaluated. Results and discussion. The tested sample showed good antioxidant and antihemolytic activities. There was no significant difference between the reducing power of lipid-soluble bioactive substances in avocado fruits and ascorbic acid (p < 0.05). The tested sample showed weak ferrous ion-chelating activity. The sample exhibited moderate hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, but exhibited good antioxidant activity. Avocado fruit showed very good activity against 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride- and hydrogen peroxide-induced hemolysis in erythrocytes. Furthermore, it showed good protective effects against peroxyl radical-induced bleaching in fluorescein. Conclusion. Lipid-soluble bioactive substances of avocado fruit showed good activity in all of the studied models.