Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of different plant parts of Pellacalyx axillaris

Abstract

Pellacalyx axillaris or locally known as ‘membuloh’ is a mangrove species belonging to the Rhizophoraceae family. Till date, there has been only one phytochemical study found on this particular plant species and that without any documentation on its biological activities. Therefore, the present work aimed to reveal the phytoconstituents and the antioxidant activity of different crude extracts from different plant parts of P. axillaris. Experimentally, three organic solvents of different polarities i.e. n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol were used to prepare the crude extracts from the dried leaves, twigs and barks of P. axillaris. The preliminary phytochemical screening of this species indicated the presence of terpenoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, anthraquinone glycosides and carbohydrates. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the species evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) suggested that the methanolic bark extract contained potential source of natural antioxidants. Further research into isolation of antioxidant compounds from this species is highly recommended.