Along with AlbumaSoy, Cissus (CQR-300), a standardized, patented extract of the Cissus quadrangularis plant--is a key ingredient in Soy Labs' CardioTrim line of products.

Oxygen derived free radicals, such as the superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical, are cytotoxic and promote tissue injury (Peterhans, 1997). Antioxidants act as a major defense against radical mediated toxicity by protecting the damages caused by free radicals (Nayan Jose and Janardhanan, 2000). Furthermore although medicinal plants are used as ‘antioxidants’ in traditional medicine, their claimed therapeutic properties could be due, in part, to their capacity for scavenging oxygen free radicals.

The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of the extract of Cissus quadrangularis against free radical damage. The test extract exhibited significant inhibition in free radical formation, superoxide radical production and lipid peroxide production in erythrocytes.

The results obtained suggest that Cissus showed inhibition of lipid peroxidation, free radical production and increase in antioxidant enzymes activities, which reveal its antioxidant property. It can be concluded that the free radical scavenging activity of the plant extract may be responsible for the therapeutic action against tissue damage.

The stem part of Cissus quadrangularis contains 479 mg of vitamin C, 267 units of carotenoids, 0.73% of calcium, steroidal and phenolic substances. Phenolics, tannin, vitamin C and carotenoids of higher plants are known to be excellent antioxidants (Ramanathan et al., 2003, Wattarapenpaiboon and Wahlqvist, 2003) and numerous studies suggest that dietary intake of plant polyphenol antioxidants may have positive effects in oxidative-stress related pathologies (Urquiaga and Leighton, 2000). These antioxidative constituents present in Cissus might be responsible for the free radical scavenging activity, antilipid peroxidative and antisuperoxide formation.

Extract from Cissus quadrangularis, exhibited strong antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging effect in different in vitro and in vivo systems. Thus the varied therapeutic activity of the plant extract may be in part due to its antioxidant activity.