Structure and bioactivity of tannin extracts from <i>Taxodium</i> ‘Zhongshanshan’

Abstract Taxodium ‘Zhongshanshan’ is a distinctive tree known for its rapid growth and robust stress resilience. To enhance the utilization of forestry resources, tannin extracts were procured from the barks (BE) and leaves (LE) of Taxodium ‘Zhongshanshan’. The tannin structures were characterized by FT-IR and MALDI-TOF MS, and found to be condensed tannin with a degree of polymerization not exceeding 6. The tannin extracts exhibited a potent ability to scavenge free radicals at capacities of 60–80 % compared to Vitamin C (VC). They inhibited the bacterial strains Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S . aureus ), with a pronounced effect on the latter. Furthermore, tannin from Taxodium ‘Zhongshanshan’ appears benign and have no significant effect on cell activity.