Abstract:To investigate the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins from Perilla frutescens leaves and the effect of simulated gastrointestinal digestion on their activity，this study measured the changes in anthocyanin content before and after in vitro simulated oral and gastrointestinal digestion using the pH differential method，and evaluated the antioxidant activity by DPPH，ABTS+，and OH radical scavenging assays. The results showed that before digestion，the maximum scavenging rates of DPPH，ABTS+，and OH radicals by P. frutescens leaf anthocyanins were 79.51%，86.92%，and 85.75%，respectively，with the scavenging rates positively correlated with anthocyanin concentration. The antioxidant activity of P. frutescens leaf anthocyanins was superior to that of the vitamin C （VC） group. After simulated gastric digestion for 3.0 h，the anthocyanin release reached the maximum at all experimental concentrations，while no significant changes were observed in the control group. During simulated intestinal digestion，changes in pH led to a downward trend in anthocyanin content. After digestion for 1.0 h，the scavenging rates of DPPH，ABTS+，and OH radicals all reached their maximum values，at 92.73%，95.36%，and 95.30%，respectively.