Determination of the Chemical Constituent Contents and Antioxidation Properties of Asystasia Gangetica

Abstract:

Background: Asystasia gangetica, also referred to as Chinese Violet is an invasive weed that has been revealed to contain biologically active components and manifest pharmacological effects. Phytochemical analysis on different extracts of A. gangetica reported that the plant contains steroids, sugars, phenolics, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and amino acids, alkaloids, terpenoids, quinines and carbohydrates and bioassay techniques performed using the plant material manifested its antioxidant, anti-asthmatic and antidiabetic properties. Materials and Methods: To further understand how the existing and the potential abilities of A. gangetica possibly work, the total phenolics, total flavonoids, total condensed tannins and total polysaccharide content of different extracts of A. gangetica have been analyzed as well as its antioxidation properties using DDPH and FRAP assays. The effect of combining A. gangetica extract to the methanolic extract of Morus alba leaves on the potency of the antioxidation properties of both plant materials was also explored. Results: Evaluation of the results revealed that A. gangetica ethanol extract is the extract most abundant in polyphenol, DCM extract in flavonoids and condensed tannins, while only a few extracts had polysaccharides. Ethanol extract has the most promising DPPH free radical scavenging activity, while methanol extract was reported to have the highest Trolox equivalent. No significant synergistic effect was observed in the combination of A. gangetica and M. alba extracts. Conclusion: These findings provide information on the A. gangetica extracts as antioxidant agents and as a source of natural products. Consequently, the results provide a new direction for medical research.

Key words: Antioxidation activity, Asystasia gangetica, Condensed tannin, Flavonoids, Polyphenol.