Ferric reducing antioxidant power of crude extracts from artocarpus species

Abstract

This study was designed to determine antioxidant capacity based on ferric ions reducing abilities of 49 crude extracts from eight Artocarpus species. Artocarpus species are well known as the source of antioxidant metabolites such as flavonoids, xanthones and stilbenes. The leaves and heartwoods of Artocarpus anisophyllus, A. fulvicortex, A. gomeizianus, A. hispidus, A. integer, A. kemando, A. lowii and A. rigidus collected from several locations in Malaysia were extracted successively at room temperature using different polarity of solvents. The ability of Artocarpus crude extracts to reduce ferric ions was determined using ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay and expressed as mM FRAP equivalent to FeSO4.7H2O. The trend for ferric ions reducing power of these crude extracts varied according to the polarity of the solvents used. Methanol crude extract of the leaves of A. hispidus (AHLM) relatively showed strong ferric ion reducing power ranging from 0.69-7.32 mM FRAP equivalent followed by the methanol crude extracts of the barks of A. rigidus (ARBM; 0.36-4.13 mM FRAP equivalent) and followed by methanol crude extract of the heartwoods of A. fulvicortex (AFHM; 0.32-3.66 mM FRAP equivalent). These results were comparable with the positive standards tested ie. trolox (0.20-2.43 mM FRAP equivalent), BHT (0.09-1.89 mM FRAP equivalent) and BHA (0.02-8.81 mM FRAP equivalent).