HPLC-DAD Quantification of Phenolic Compounds Contributing to the Antioxidant Activity of Maclura pomifera, Ficus carica and Ficus elastica Extracts

Abstract

The concentration and antioxidant activity of the known phenolics macluraxanthone, rutin, chlorogenic acid, and psoralen present in M. pomifera, F. carica, and F. elastica extracts were determined to evaluate the plant extracts potency as new antioxidant suppliers.

The quantification of the compounds was obtained by HPLC-DAD. The antioxidant activity of plant extracts and compounds was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS methods. The results seem to indicate that these extracts can be promising as new antioxidant suppliers, particularly F. carica and F. elastica leaves because only about 30% and about 50%, respectively, of the total activity was due to the phenolics determined.

Keywords:

• Antioxidant properties
• HPLC-DAD
• Moraceae
• phenolic compounds

The authors thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)-Project POCTI/QUI/41839 and Fundo Social Europeu (FEDER) for the financial support and Prof. Luis Dias, Department of Biology, University of Évora, Portugal, for plant authentication. The National Arboretum in Washington, DC, USA, is also acknowledged for supplying the Maclura pomifera plant material.

Notes

^a The values represent the mean of three replicate measurements on three different extract dilutions. Means with different index numbers are significantly different (ANOVA: single factor Microsoft® Excel 2000, P < 0.005).

^b Standard deviation of a single measurement.

^a upper and lower 95% confidence limits (Regression statistics Microsoft® Excel 2000).

^a The values represent the mean of three replicate measurements on three different extract dilutions. Means with different index numbers are significantly different (ANOVA: single factor Microsoft® Excel 2000, P < 0.005).

^b Standard deviation of a single measurement.