Comparison of Lignan Contents and Antioxidant Activities in Five Perilla ( <i>Perilla frutescens</i> ) Korean Cultivars

We analyzed five Korean perilla (Perilla frutescens) cultivars for their lignan contents and antioxidant activities.Lignans were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; six compounds were detected: secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, syringaresinol, lariciresinol, medioresinol, and pinoresinol.The total lignan content differed among cultivars, with Anyu having the highest level at 88.639 g/100 g; among them, syringaresinol was predominant, whereas several others were not detected.The antioxidant activity also varied among cultivars; Dayu and Gayeon had higher polyphenols and flavonoids than the others.Dayu and Neulbora showed the highest 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt radical-scavenging activity, whereas Neulbora exhibited the strongest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity.Correlation analysis indicated that antioxidant activity was not robustly associated with lignan content and was only weakly related to total phenolic and flavonoid contents.These results suggest that the antioxidant capacity of perilla seeds may be influenced by multiple components rather than by lignans or phenolic compounds alone.