Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the chemical and nutritional composition of Artemisia annua leaves in addition to determination of antioxidant potential of their extracts prepared in different solvents. Chemical composition was determined by quantifying fat, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, tocopherol, phytate, and tannin contents. Extraction of A. annua leaves, for antioxidant potential evaluation, was carried out using five solvents of different polarities, i.e., hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and water. Antioxidant potential was evaluated by estimating total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) contents, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), DPPH radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation. Efficiency of different solvents was compared for the yield of antioxidant extracts from leaf samples and a clear variation was observed. The highest TPC, TFC, TEAC, DPPH radical scavenging and lowest lipid peroxidation were observed in MeOH extracts, whereas aqueous extract exhibited high ferric reducing antioxidant power; suggesting MeOH to be the most favorable extractant.
Highlights
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals like superoxide, hydroxyl, peroxyl, hydroperoxyl and alkoxyl are produced in the human body as a result of normal metabolism [1]
The findings suggest strong involvement of phenolics in the antioxidant activity of A. annua leaves, while high negative correlation of total phenolic (TPC) was observed with lipid peroxidation, which proved that high TPC may cause a reduction in lipid peroxidation
Total flavonoid content exhibited strong correlation with Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) (r = 0.887) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) (r = 0.980), while its correlation was moderate with Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl Hydrate (DPPH), which confirms their contribution towards antioxidant actions
Summary
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals like superoxide, hydroxyl, peroxyl, hydroperoxyl and alkoxyl are produced in the human body as a result of normal metabolism [1]. This study was planned to get a clear understanding about the impact of solvent polarity on extraction of antioxidant compounds from A. annua leaves coupled with determination of antioxidant activity through multiple assays. These investigations will play a key role in recovery of bioactive components, which are reported to be acting against certain diseases associated with oxidative stress, which may eventually lead to development of new functional foods and nutraceutical products
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