Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of phenolic compounds extracted from lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) leaves at various extraction conditions.

Abstract

Lemon myrtle leaves were extracted with ethanol at different temperatures (25, 50, and 80°C) and times (2, 4, 6, and 10h) to examine the effect of extraction conditions on total polyphenol contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities, and amount of phenolic compounds. Under optimal extraction conditions (80°C and 6h), the values were 23.37%, 102.72mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE/g dry basis), 23.37mg rutin equivalents (RE/g dry basis), 83.31%, 60.13%, and 1.10% for yield, TPC, TFC, DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and reducing power, respectively. In addition, total amount of the phenolic compounds of extract was determined as 43.9μg/g. The anti-inflammatory effect was determined in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and inhibited the production of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO). These results indicate that extracts of lemon myrtle leaves have potential as a valuable natural product with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.