Determination of Antioxidant Activity of Marshmallow Flower (Althaea officinalis L.)

Abstract

The antioxidant properties of marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L., Fam. Malvaceae) ethanolic extract was evaluated using different antioxidant tests, including reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, and metal chelating activities. The extract of marshmallow (A. officinalis L.) exhibited strong total antioxidant activity. The concentration of 50, 100, and 250 µg/mL of ethanol extract of marshmallow (A. officinalis L.) showed 85.5%, 91.2%, and 96.4% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. On the other hand, 100 µg/mL of standard antioxidant such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and α‐tocopherol exhibited 94.5%, 99.1%, and 80% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. The extract of marshmallow (A. officinalis L.) had effective reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, and metal chelating activities at same concentration (50, 100, and 250 µg/mL). Those various antioxidant activities were compared with standard antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, and α‐tocopherol.