Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activity of various solvent extract from Brachychiton populneus leaves Deployed in Syria

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant potential of extract fractions (petroleum ether extract fraction-PEef, chloroform extract fraction-Clef, ethyl acetate extract fraction-EAef, Acetone extract fraction-ACef, methanolic extract fraction-MEef) of Brachychiton populneus leaves using Soxhlet apparatus. To achieve this, several parameters such as total flavonoids (TFC), and total phenolic content (TPC), scavenging activity (DPPH), Reducing power (RP) assay, using Gallic acid and ascorbic acid as standard were examined. Maximum phenolic content was exhibited by MEef extract fraction (267.07 ± 1.28), followed by EAef (208.45 ± 1.16), and ACef (159.94 ± 1.41), among Clef showed low phenolic content (18.47 ± 0.48), whereas PEef showed the least (9.83 ± 0.36) mg GAE/g dry extract. EAef showed highest flavonoid content (98.72 ± 1.18 against other fractions (PEef, CLef, ACef, MEef) whose flavonoid content reported as 26.41 ± 0.58, 81.94 ± 0.72, 41.36 ± 0.35 & 24.41 ± 0.78 mg RE/g of dried extract, respectively. Indeed, B. populneus MEef extract fraction shoots exhibited the moderately high antioxidant activity, with the lowest DPPH IC₅₀ (176.12 µg/mL) and RP IC₅₀ (192.024 µg Fe²⁺/mL) values.

The results showed that the methanolic fraction reported a considerable free radicals scavenging activity and reducing effect, may be due to their richness on polyphenols. This study suggests that B. populneus may serve as a good source of natural antioxidants.