Title:Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Helicteres Hirsuta Extracts
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Le Trung Hieu*, Tran Thi Van Thi*, Le Lam Son, Nguyen Minh Nhung, Huynh Thi Ngoc Diep, Adam Mechler and Quan V. Vo*
Affiliation:
- University of Sciences – Hue University, Hue City 530000,Vietnam
- University of Sciences – Hue University, Hue City 530000,Vietnam
- Faculty of Chemical Technology - Environment, The University of Danang - University of Technology and Education, Danang 550000,Vietnam
Keywords:
Helicteres hirsuta, antioxidant activity, methyl gallate, rutin, HPLC, DPPH.
Abstract: Helicteres hirsuta, which belongs to the Malvaceae family, is used in traditional medicine to
treat malaria, diabetes and cervical cancer. While these uses have not been validated in clinical studies
thus far, extracts from H. hirsuta exhibit confirmed antioxidant and potential anti-cancer activity that
warrant critical assessment. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant properties of different
parts of the plant H. hirsuta. The antioxidant capacities of methanol extracts of different plant parts,
and specific solvent fractions thereof were determined on the basis of 2,2-diphenyl−1−picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) radical scavenging and total antioxidant activity assays. The ethyl acetate fraction from the
leaf material of H. hirsuta has the most potent antioxidant activity with the lowest half maximal inhibitory
concentration (IC50) value of 9.50 μg/mL, that is 4 times lower than the IC50 of curcumin. The
amounts of methyl gallate and rutin dominated the extracts at 8.62 ± 0.01 and 6.76 ± 0.02 mg/g, respectively,
out of a total of 21.00 ± 0.01 mg/g active phenolic fraction. The amount of methyl gallate
strongly correlated with total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity, thus this compound may
be useful as a marker of antioxidant activity in common medicinal plants.