The antioxidant ability of the extracts from polygonum cuspidatum root by six kinds of solvent respectively is evaluated by means of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging method,2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)radical scavenging method and total reduction power assay.The 95%-ethanol extract with high antioxidant activity is selected for the study of endogenous antioxidant capacity at the cellular level,and its effect on the regulation of antioxidant genes such as Nrf2,SOD,CAT and HO-1 is evaluated.It is found that the 95%-ethanol extract shows the highest antioxidant capacity and contains the highest polyphenol content compared to the other five extracts.The 95%-ethanol extract can significantly increase the expression of antioxidant genes such as Nrf2,SOD,CAT and HO-1.In a sum,the 95%-ethanol extract of polygonum cuspidatum root has good antioxidant activity and shows the potential to be developed as a natural antioxidant.