Total Flavonoid Compounds Research Articles

Fortification of Macaroni with Pomegranate Peels as Dietary Fiber and Natural Antioxidant for the Treatment of Obesity and High Cholesterol in Rats

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is rich with medicinal properties and extensively used in traditional medicines. Pomegranate peels were dried in an air circulatory tray at 60o C for 48 h. Dried Pomegranate peels were powdered and added to macaroni as dietary fiber and natural antioxidant at different levels to give different blends. The first, second, third and fourth blends had added at levels 10, 15, 20 and 25% of peel powder which was compared with macaroni control had contained 100% semolina wheat flour considerable as control. Chemical, physical and organoleptic properties were determined in different macaroni blends. The results showed that the pomegranate peel had the highest in crude, total dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber, soluble dietary fiber, total phenolic acid and total flavonoids compounds. The sensory characteristics of macaroni made from blends at different levels from pomegranate peel give the acceptability results at the end of the biological experiment of duration for four weeks all the measurements for the analysis of blood lipids in rats fed with macaroni blends and compare the results from two negative and positive control groups. The results reported that when the pomegranate peel increased in macaroni the cholesterol was lowered in rats hypercholesterolemia. From the resultant, it could be concluded that the uses peel pomegranate powder as dietary fiber and natural antioxidant to produce macaroni blends at different levels gives the best results for sensory characteristics till 20% peel pomegranate and lowering cholesterol in rats hypercholesterolemia.

Fatty Acid Profile, Phenolics and Flavonoids Contents in Olea europaea L. Callus Culture cv. cornicabra.

Olive trees are one of the most important oil crops in the world due to the sensorial and nutritional characteristics of olive oil, such as lipid composition and antioxidant content, and the medicinal properties of its leaves. In this paper, callus formation was induced using nodal segments of olive tree (Olea europaea cv. cornicabra) as explants. Fatty acid profile, total phenolic compounds and total flavonoid compounds were determined in callus culture after 15 weeks and compared with leaf and nodal segments tissues. There was no statistical difference in phenolic compounds among leaf, nodal segments and callus culture, whereas flavonoid compounds were higher in leaf. Fatty acid profile was similar in leaf, nodal segments and callus culture and was constituted by hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, cis-9-octadecenoic acid, cis-9,12-octadecadienoic acid, cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid. Hexadecanoic acid was the main fatty acid in callus, leaf and nodal segments with 35.0, 39.0 and 40.0% (w/w), of the lipid composition, respectively. With this paper, it is being reported for the first time the capacity of callus culture to accumulate fatty acids. Our results could serve to continue studying the production of fatty acids in callus cultivation as a biotechnological tool to improve different olive cultivars.

USING POMEGRANATE PEEL EXTRACTS AS NATURAL ANTIOXIDANT IN CREAM CHEESE MANUFACTURED FROM GOAT'S MILK

In this study, cream cheese was prepared from goat's milk supplemented with different concentration of pomegranate peel extracts (PPE) (0.5, 1 and 2%) as natural antioxidant. Experimental cheeses evaluated for antioxidant activity RSA/DPPH, total phenolic compound (TPC) and total flavonoid compound (TFC), oxidative stability, microbiological and organoleptic properties during storage periods at 4±1oC for 45 days. Chemical composition was determined for fresh cheese. The obtained results showed that a significant (P ≤0.05) increased observed in DPPH, TPC and TFC in cheese containing PPE3 (goat's cream cheese containing 2% PPE) recorded high values. Stored goat's cream cheese has significant (P ≤0.05) decrease in total bacterial count, proteolytic, lipolytic bacteria and yeast/mould counts than the control cheese. Coliforms were not detected throughout the storage period. Organoleptic results showed that concentration of pomegranate peel extracts up to 1.0% recorded high pointes than the control. Pomegranate peel extracts could be used as natural preservative to improve acceptability and the oxidative stability of goat's cream cheese.

Total Phenolic and Total Flavonoid Compounds and Ion Chromatographic Anions and Cations Determinations of Giresun Region’s Sakarca Plant (Ornithogalum Umbellatum L.)

In this work; total phenolic compounds and total flovonoid compounds have been identificated of the fresh and diet of Sakarca (Ornithogalum umbellatum L.) plant which has been abundantly grown in Giresun. Fresh and cooked plant samples were shredded and extracted with soxhalet in methanol. Total phenolic contents of the were determined by Folin Ciocalteu method and total flavonoid contents of the studied samples were determined by aluminum nitrate method. In addition, some anion-cation content of samples were simultaneously determined by the studied samples Dionex ICS-5000 ion chromatography system.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction and antioxidant activity of phenolic and flavonoid compounds and ascorbic acid from rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thunb.) fruit.

The present study aimed to extract total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoid compounds (TFC), and ascorbic acid (AA) from the fruit of rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thunb.) by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and to evaluate their antioxidant activities. UAE significantly increased the extract yield compared with that obtained using the conventional method. TPC, TFC, and AA were extracted, depending on the extraction conditions (temperature, time, and ethanol concentration), in the range of 50.73-96.69, 15.93-31.88, and 3.06-6.08mg/g, respectively. TPC and TFC were effectively extracted at a relatively high temperature (50°C) than AA was (30°C). The solvent condition used to extract TPC, TFC, and AA was 50% ethanol. The UAE condition for the highest antioxidant activity was obtained 30°C, 30min, and 50% ethanol, which were the same condition for the highest AA extraction. Among the extracts, AA showed a strong correlation with antioxidant activity at p-value of 0.001.

추출온도에 따른 이팝나무 과육 물 추출물의 항산화 및 항노화 활성

The fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus (Oleaceae) has been used as a natural remedy that helps a paralytic stroke, dementia, phlegm and malaria. This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and anti-aging activities of water extracts obtained from the flesh of C. retusus by reflux extraction at room temperature and 80°C, and pressure heating extraction at 110°C, for an increment of their practical use. The highest extraction yield from the flesh of C. retusus was 67.94% extract by pressure heating extraction at 110°C. The content of total polyphenol compounds was the highest by 72.71 mg/g in 80°C extract by reflux extraction. The highest content of total flavonoid compounds was 7.60 mg/g at 110°C extract. The results of soluble protein and reducing sugar contents showed the highest content of 4.93 mg/g and 46.77 mg/g in 110°C extract, respectively. In the analysis of DPPH radical scavenging activity, all extracts showed an excellent effect of 92% in 1.0 mg/mL concentration. The highest effect of ABTS radical scavenging activity was 88.67% at 110°C extraction in 1.0 mg/mL concentration. Nitrite scavenging ability was the highest as 66.16% at 110°C extract at pH 1.2 and 1.0 mg/mL concentration. The results of SOD-like activity and xanthine oxidase inhibition activities showed the highest effect of 14.95% and 59.45% at 110°C extract in 1.0 mg/mL, respectively. Tyrosinase inhibition activity for whitening effect was the highest of 35.31% at 85°C in 1.0 mg/mL. In the analysis of anti-aging effect, collagenase and elastase inhibition activity showed the highest effects of 37.78% at 110°C and 20.39% at 80°C, respectively. All results of antioxidant activities and anti-aging effects increased along with the concentration increases. These results indicated that the extracts extracted from the flesh of C. retusus at 80°C and 110°C have a large amount of useful ingredients, an excellent antioxidant activity, like as DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, and anti-aging effects to develop functional products than those of 25°C.

Optimization and Kinetic Studies of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction on Polyphenols from Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus Unshiu Marc.) Leaves

The present article includes the Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) of Citrus unsiu Marc. leaves rich in polyphenols. The best possible combinations of solvent, pH of the media, solvent/solid ratio, extraction time, extraction temperature and particle size were obtained for the maximum extraction of Total Phenolic Compounds (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Compounds (TFC) by using One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) approach. The optimum extraction conditions of TPC were as follows: pH 4 in water; solvent/solid ratio of 20:1; extraction time, 54 min; and extraction temperature, 53oC. On the other hand, pH 2 in water, solvent/solid ratio of 42:1, 48 min and 58oC were found to be the optimal conditions for the extraction of TFC. The solvent selection was the most effective parameter for the related system. Additionally, several kinetic models (Film theory, Peleg model, first-order mechanism model and second order mechanism model) were employed to examine the kinetics of UAE.

Characterising the Physical, Phytochemical and Antioxidant Properties of the Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) Fruit

The tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) is an Australian native plant that fruits over the summer months. There are very few studies that have characterised its fruit; consequently, this study aimed to delineate the physical, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of the tuckeroo fruit. The tuckeroo skin embodied the largest weight proportion with over 77% of the total fruit weight and it had the highest levels of total phenolic compounds (TPC; 151.36 mg GAE/g), total flavonoids compounds (TFC; 95.94 mg CAE/g), and proanthocyanidins (Proanth; 164.86 mg CAE/g) content, as well as the strongest antioxidant power. The seed and flesh accounted for 23% of the total fruit weight and they possessed significantly lower levels of TPC, TFC and Proanth. This study has demonstrated that the tuckeroo fruit skin is a rich source of phenolic compounds, which can be further isolated and identified for further utilisation in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Chemical characterization, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory activity, and enzyme inhibition of Ipomoea batatas L. leaf extracts

ABSTRACTIpomoea batatas L. is widely used as a functional food in many countries. In this work, I. batatas leaf extracts (Soxhlet extract, microwave [MW] extract, and decoction extract) were characterized for the first time, and their total flavonoid and phenolic compound contents were measured by spectrophotometric and chromatographic analyses. These extracts were investigated for their antioxidant activities (free radical scavenging and reducing power assays), enzyme inhibitory activities (cholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase) and effects on inflammation pathways. Various bioactive secondary metabolites were identified; among them, chlorogenic acid appeared to be the most abundant. The decoction extract displayed the highest level of phenolics (89.26 mg GAE/g extract) and thus exhibited stronger antioxidant ability than the Soxhlet and MW extracts. Each preparation was tested in in vitro enzymatic assays, which revealed that all three extracts exhibited interesting inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase. Moreover, in vitro and ex vivo anti-inflammatory activities were observed for the decoction extract. Collectively, these results indicated that I. batatas leaf can be considered a potential candidate for the development of functional foods to combat the symptoms of metabolic disorders, such as type II diabetes mellitus.

Effects of aqueous extract from red Liriope platyphylla on phthalic-anhydride-induced atopic dermatitis in Interleukin-4/Luciferase/Consensus non-coding sequence-1 transgenic mice evaluated in terms of luciferase signal and general phenotype biomarkers

ObjectiveTo quantitatively evaluate the therapeutic effects of Red Liriope platyphylla (RLP) on atopic dermatitis (AD), alterations in the luciferase (Luc) signal and general phenotype biomarkers were compared in phthalic anhydride (PA) treated Interleukin-4 (IL-4)/Luc/Consensus non-coding sequence-1 (CNS-1) transgenic (Tg) mice following treatment with aqueous extract of RLP (AEtRLP) for 4 weeks. MethodsAlterations in AD phenotypes were measured in IL-4/Luc/CNS-1 Tg mice following treatment with AEtRLP using inflammation parameter analysis, bioluminescence imaging analysis, histological analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. ResultsRLP contained high concentrations of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoid compounds and 5-HNE related to AD therapy. The Luc signal was only detected in the abdominal region and the submandibular lymph node (SL), mesenteric lymph node (ML), thymus and pancreas of the PA treated group. This signal was significantly decreased by 28%-73% throughout the body and in the four organs in PA + AEtRLP treated group. Furthermore, the lymph node weight, immunoglobulin E concentration and dermal thickness were decreased by 37%-67% in the PA + AEtRLP treated group. ConclusionOur findings suggest that the therapeutic effect of AEtRLP on PA induced AD could be successfully quantified by comparison of Luc signals and AD phenotype markers in IL-4/Luc/CNS-1 Tg mice, and that the Luc signal was as sensitive as the general AD phenotypes, enabling detection of effects without euthanasia.

Phenolic content, anthocyanins and antiradical capacity of diverse purple bran rice genotypes as compared to other bran colors

Anthocyanins are flavonoids, a subgroup of phenolic compounds in bran of purple rice that have shown health benefits in animal studies and human clinical trials. We studied the genetic diversity of the concentrations of total phenolics, flavonoids and anthocyanins, and, antiradical capacity in diverse purple rice brans. More than 13-, 12-, 25- and 8-fold variations were found for these respective traits. Cyanidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside were the major anthocyanins identified. The color parameter b* of whole grain rice was correlated with anthocyanins and can be used as a non-destructive quick screening tool. Purple brans that accumulated both anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins had the highest total phenolics, total flavonoids, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity among all color brans. Purple brans had the widest genotypic diversity of these chemical traits, followed by red, brown, light brown, and white. In terms of antioxidant properties of total flavonoid compounds in the sample extracts, purple and red brans had similar reducing capacity per unit of total flavonoids; while purple bran had higher oxygen radical absorbance capacity per unit of total flavonoids. In conclusion, new rice cultivars with colored bran having specific amounts and types of phenolic compounds can be developed using traditional breeding.

IN VITRO - ANTIOXIDANT AND PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF AEGLE MARMELOS (L.) CORREA. LEAF EXTRACT

Objective: In this study, the leaf powder of Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa. was subjected to preliminary phytochemical and in vitro antioxidant analysis. Methods: The freshly prepared plant leaf extract was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, which revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and steroids. Reducing power, superoxide (SO) anion radical, nitric oxide (NO) radical, and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays were carried out to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the methanolic leaf extract of this plant. The amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were also determined. Results: This study has revealed that the A. marmelos (L.) Correa. leaf extract showed considerably high amounts of most of the phytochemicals, total antioxidant capacity, total phenolic, and flavonoid content. The study also indicated that the A. marmelos (L.) Correa. showed comparatively good scavenging activity, i.e., inhibition of hydroxyl radical, NO and SO anion scavenging and reducing power activities when compared with the respective standards. Conclusion: The leaf powder of A. marmelos (L.) Correa. can be used as easily accessible source of natural antioxidant and as a possible food supplement or in pharmaceutical industry.

Chrysanthemum morphology, photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant capacity are differentially modified by light quality

The effect of light quality on leaf morphology, photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant capacity of leaves that fully developed under a specific spectrum was investigated in Chrysanthemum cv. Four light treatments were applied at 100μmolm−2s−1 and a photoperiod of 14h using light-emitting diodes, which were 100% red (R), 100% blue (B), 75% red with 25% blue (RB) and white (W), respectively. Intraspecific variation was investigated by studying the response of eight cultivars. Overall, red light significantly decreased the leaf area while the thinnest leaves were observed for W. Chlorophyll content and Chl a/b ratio was highest for W and lowest under R. B and RB resulted in the highest maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and quantum efficiency (ΦPSII). A negative correlation between heat dissipation (NPQ) and ΦPSII was found. Blue light induced the highest hydrogen peroxide content, which is a proxy for total ROS generation, followed by W and RB while low contents were found under R. The antioxidative response was not always correlated with hydrogen content and differed depending on the light quality treatment. Blue light enhanced the proline levels, while carotenoids, total flavonoid and phenolic compounds were higher under W. Intraspecific variation in the responses were observed for most parameters with exception of leaf thickness; this intraspecific variation was most pronounced for total phenolic and flavonoid compounds.

Inhibition Activity of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) and Determination of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Compound from Bitter Melon Leaves (Momordica charantia L.)

Introduction: Hypertension is a leading problem in Indonesia, because of the high prevalence and the long term effect. Bitter melon leaves (Momordica charantia L.) has been traditionally utilized to treat hypertension, yet not many studies explained the antihypertension effect of this plant. Methods: This study was conducted to test the benefit of bitter melon leaves as antihypertension using angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition activity in 80% ethanolic extract and its fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol) using ACE kit-WST (Dojindo, Japan). Then the antihypertension activity was associated with the phenolic content which was expressed in gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and total flavonoid in quercetin equivalent (QE). Results: Result of the study showed that the IC50 value obtained from the ethanolic extract to inhibit ACE activity was 7.52 μg/mL and the highest inhibition obtained in ethyl acetate fraction with IC50 value was 4,29 μg/mL. Phenolic total and flavonoid total determination also showed that the highest content obtained in ethyl acetate fraction with 18.752 mg GAE/gr extract and 8.310 mg QE/gr extract, respectively. Conclusion: According to the study, it could be concluded that bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) leaves provide inhibition activity against Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) and chemical compounds that were expected to play an active role in inhibiting ACE were flavonoid and tannin.

COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN CELERY LEAVES AND BROCCOLI FLOWERS FOR THEIR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND AMINO ACIDS AS WELL AS PHENOLIC AND FLAVONOID COMPOUNDS

The objective of such research was to study the chemical composition as well as phenolic and flavonoid compounds in dried celery leaves and broccoli flowers.Celery leaves contained moisture 88.72% fresh weight but in dried weight total carbohydrates, crude protein, total lipids, crude fiber and total ash contents were 36.8%, 19.47%, 2.1%, 19.85% and 20.98% respectively. While broccoli flowers contained moisture 89.43% fresh weight but in dried weight total carbohydrates 44.8%, crude protein 24.79%, total lipids 5.8%, crude fiber 15.29% and total ash contents were 44.8%, 24.79%, 5.8%, 15.29% and 7.67% respectively. Celery leaves contained 17 amino acids among them aspartic acid, glutamic acid, valine, alanine, leucine and phenylalanine were the major ones comparing with 17 amino acids in broccoli flowers which were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, alanine, arginine, valine and leucine in high amounts. Total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in celery leaves were 30.3 and 18.5 mg/g comparing with 38.4 and 22.5 mg/g of them in broccoli flowers respectively. HPLC results showed that celery leaves contained 22 of phenolic compounds, among them as well as pyrogallol , E.vanillic, ellagic, benzoic, chlorogenic, ferulic and P-OH-benzoic acids were the major active constituents comparing with 23 of phenolic compounds in broccoli flowers which contained as well as pyrogallol those benzoic, P-OH-benzoic, salycilic, E-vanillic and chlorogenic acids were the major of phenolic compounds. Celery leaves contained 17 of flavonoids the highest amounts of them were rosmarinic, luteolin, hesperidin and apig.6-rhamnose 8-glucose comparing with 21 of flavonoids in broccoli flowers which accounted the highest values for luteo.6-arbinose 8-glucose, hesperidin and rosmarinic acid. Phenolic and flavonoid compounds were detected and determined by HPLC.

PtoMYB156 is involved in negative regulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism and secondary cell wall biosynthesis during wood formation in poplar

Some R2R3 MYB transcription factors have been shown to be major regulators of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway and impact secondary wall formation in plants. In this study, we describe the functional characterization of PtoMYB156, encoding a R2R3-MYB transcription factor, from Populus tomentosa. Expression pattern analysis showed that PtoMYB156 is widely expressed in all tissues examined, but predominantly in leaves and developing wood cells. PtoMYB156 localized to the nucleus and acted as a transcriptional repressor. Overexpression of PtoMYB156 in poplar repressed phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes, leading to a reduction in the amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Transgenic plants overexpressing PtoMYB156 also displayed a dramatic decrease in secondary wall thicknesses of xylem fibers and the content of cellulose, lignin and xylose compared with wild-type plants. Transcript accumulation of secondary wall biosynthetic genes was down-regulated by PtoMYB156 overexpression. Transcriptional activation assays revealed that PtoMYB156 was able to repress the promoter activities of poplar CESA17, C4H2 and GT43B. By contrast, knockout of PtoMYB156 by CRISPR/Cas9 in poplar resulted in ectopic deposition of lignin, xylan and cellulose during secondary cell wall formation. Taken together, these results show that PtoMYB156 may repress phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and negatively regulate secondary cell wall formation in poplar.

Antioxidant, Antiglycation, and Hypoglycaemic Effect of Seriphium plumosum Crude Plant Extracts.

Diabetes is a severely debilitating metabolic disorder characterised by chronic hyperglycaemia. Traditional medicinal plants provide an important avenue for the development of novel antidiabetic agents. The antidiabetic potential of the methanol, acetone, and hexane extracts of S. plumosum was assessed using different parameters. These included secondary metabolite quantification, hypoglycaemic, cytotoxic effects, and GLUT4 translocation augmentation on C2C12 cells. The methanol extract contained the highest amount of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds and showed enhanced antioxidant activity. The methanol extracts had the best DPPH scavenging (EC50 = 0.72 mg/ml) and ferric reducing powers (EC50 = 2.31 mg/ml). The hexane extract resulted in the highest glucose uptake activity of 35, 77% with respect to all other treatments after a 6-hour exposure period. Immunocytochemistry technique further revealed that the increased glucose utilisation may be due to increased membrane fused GLUT4 molecules in C2C12 cells. The hexane extract was also shown to upregulate the phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase and Akt1/2. The study highlights a probable insulin-mimetic activity of the hexane extract via the augmentation of Akt1/2 phosphorylation which is involved in the GLUT4 translocation pathway. Furthermore, the study represents the first report on the cytotoxic effect, GLUT4 translocation, and glucose uptake potential of S. plumosum.

Effect of Sea Water and Mannitol on Total Phenolics, Flavonoid Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Kaff Maryam (Anastatica hierochuntica L.)

The effect of salinity alone or combined with mannitol on Kaff maryam (Anastatica hierochuntica L.) sprouts cultivated for 2 and 4 months was investigated by analysis of total phenolics, flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activity. Salinity was induced by the irrigation with two concentrations of sea water; 50 mM (S1) and 150 mM (S2), while 125 Mm mannitol (M) was used as osmoregulatory substance and combined with the previously mentioned concentrations of sea water. The highest phenolic content was observed in S2 treatment (2 months old) (47 ± 0.133 mg GAE g-1 DWt.), while the highest flavonoids were observed through MS2 treatment (43.01 ± 0.28 mg QU g-1 DWt.). Otherwise, the antioxidant activity increased by increasing the total phenolics and flavonoid contents. Moreover, the accumulation of flavonoid compounds was attributed to an increase in the level of the major compounds; kaempferol 3-O-β-glucopyranoside, quercetin and quercetin 3-O-β-glucopyranoside.

Synergistic Antioxidant Scavenging Activities of Grape Seed and Green Tea Extracts against Oxidative Stress

Grape seed and green tea extracts are reported to produce antioxidant scavenging activities against free radical toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that a specific combination of these extracts presents a synergistic antioxidant scavenging activities. The extracts of grape seed, green tea and their mixtures were characterized by phytochemical studies and tested for phenolics and flavonoids. In vitro antioxidant activity for individual extract and its mixtures was determined by DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide free radical scavenging methods. The amount of total phenolics varied among the different extracts and ranged from 43.74 to 67.68 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) / g dry weight, whereas total flavonoids content ranged from 4.25 to 11.66 mg of quercetin equivalents (QU) /g dry weight. The present results suggest that both extracts reported a highly contents of total phenolic and flavonoids compounds, also the mixtures of these extracts can synergistically enhance antioxidant activity. Antioxidant potential from mixture 2 (grape seed extract 200 mg: green tea extract 100 mg) was comparable to that of standard. HPLC results showed that the most abundant components in the mixture 2 extract were epigallocatechingallate while the lowest was the procyanidine.

Aqueous fraction of Alstonia boonei de Wild leaves suppressed inflammatory responses in carrageenan and formaldehyde induced arthritic rats.

Alstonia boonie de Wild is an ethnomedical plant used as therapy against inflammatory disorders. This study evaluated the most active anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant fraction of A. boonei leaves using in vitro and in vivo models. Quantitative phytochemical analysis, anti-protein denaturation and hypotonicity-induced hemolysis of human red blood cell membrane (HRBC), radical scavenging activity assays, carrageenan and formaldehyde-induced inflammation models were carried out. Results showed that aqueous and ethyl acetate fractions of 70% methanol extract of A. boonie leaves contained high quantities of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds compared with hexane and butanol fractions. Aqueous fraction of A. boonie leaves significantly (P<0.05) inhibited heat-induced protein denaturation, stabilized hypotonicity-induced hemolysis of HRBC, scavenged DPPH, NO and H2O2 radicals in a concentration-dependent manner compared with other fractions in vitro. In addition, orally administered 50-250-mg/kg body weight (b.w.) aqueous fraction of A. boonei leaves suppressed carrageenan-induced rat paw edema thickness by 74.32%, 79.22% and 89.86% respectively at 6th h in a dose-dependent manner comparable with animals treated with standard diclofenac sodium (88.69%) in vivo. Furthermore, investigation of formaldehyde-induced inflammation in rats showed that 50-250 mg/kg b.w. aqueous fraction of A. boonei reduced plasma alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities. Aqueous fraction of A. boonei also suppressed eosinophils, monocytes and basophils, total white blood cell, total platelet, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts and modulated plasma lipid profile compared with control group. Aqueous fraction of A. boonei leaves exhibited substantial active anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Hence, an aqueous fraction of A. boonei leaves could be channeled towards pharmaceutical drug development. In addition, this study provided scientific insight to account for the traditional use of A. boonei leaves in ethnomedical practice.