2016, Vol. 4, Issue 2, Part A

author(s)
Rubab Tarannum Islam, Dr. Ahmed Tanjimul Islam, Dr. Kishor Mazumder

abstract
Helianthus annuus seeds belonging to the family Asteraceae have been investigated for the presence of various chemical components and evaluation of biological activities of the crude extracts of methanol with special emphasis to the phenolic component with anti-oxidant activity. The methanolic extract of Helianthus annuus seeds demonstrates a remarkable amount of phenolic content (54 µg/ml of GAE/100g of extract) by using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent. In vitro antioxidant activity of methanolic seed extract of H. annuus was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging assay, which showed significant antioxidant activity compared to standard antioxidant (ascorbic acid). A direct correlation between total phenol and antioxidant activity indicates polyphenols are the main antioxidants. The present study shows that Helianthus annuusrnseeds have radical scavenging activity and can be considered as good sources of natural antioxidants for medicinal and commercial uses.