Aim: Aralia taibaiensis  is a natural medicinal and food plant that is rich in triterpenoid saponins with hypoglycaemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-gastric ulcer and anti-inflammatory effects. This study has significance in terms of the antioxidant, anti-aging and organ protective effects of Aralia taibaiensis  total saponins (TSAT) in D-galactose-induced aging rats.
Methods: The saponin composition of TSAT was determined and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We consolidated the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of TSAT in vitro and assessed the effects of TSAT on daily mobility, body weight, behaviour, organ indices, oxidation-related indices and pathological changes in aging rats.
Results: In vitro experiments showed that TSAT had a scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), tyrosinase, hydroxyl radicals (HO•) and superoxide radicals (•O^2-) and was closely related to the dose of TSAT. In vivo experiments showed that after 8 weeks of continuous gavage administration, the rats gradually recovered their body weight, daily activity ability, learning and memory ability and organ index and effectively improved D-gal-induced organ injury. Specifically, TSAT significantly increased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the serum, brain, heart, lung, spleen and kidney of aging rats compared to the model group. In addition, TSAT significantly inhibited the D-gal-induced upregulation of hepatic alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. The histopathological results showed that TSAT reversed D-gal-induced damage to the brain, heart, lung, kidney, liver and spleen to varying degrees.
Conclusion: TSAT is a high-quality natural product with antioxidant and anti-aging properties that can alleviate D-gal-induced aging damage in rats.
Keywords: Aralia taibaiensis  total saponins, D-galactose, antioxidant, anti-aging