Objective: To investigate 1

1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazy1(DPPH) free radical scavenging activities of extracts from Orobanche cernua var. cumana. Method: The 70% ethanol extracts from O. cernua var. cumana was extracted successively with ethyl acetate and n-butanol. The three fractions of ethyl acetate

n-butanol

and water were tested using assays of the scavenging effects on DPPH. The model of oxidative damage of human embryonic kidney cell line HEK-293 cells was induced by H2O2

MTT assay was used to evaluate the cell viability. Result: The IC50 in DPPH test were in the following orders:ethyl acetate(0.042 9 g · L-1) <n-butanol(0.059 9 g · L-1)C(0.071 8 g · L-1)-1). The ethyl acetate fraction showed the strongest scavenging activity to DPPH free radicals. The three fractions of ethyl acetate

n-butanol and water could significantly improve the survival rate of injured HEK-293 cells

showing the antioxidant activities. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the extracts from O. cernua var. cumana have some anti-oxidant and free radical scavenging activities.