Antioxidant activity of extracts from Searsia dentata
Seroke Molefi and Manoharan Karuppiah Pillai
Searsia dentata has been used in the treatment of epilepsy and convulsions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts obtained separately from leaves and stem-bark of S. dentata. Maceration and hot solvent extractions techniques were used to obtain these extracts. DPPH and ferric reducing power assays, Folin-Ciocalteu and colorimetric aluminium chloride methods were used in this study. The DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power of these extracts were found to be in the range of 7.34±1.09 to 77.84±8.53% and 0.054±0.002 to 1.956±0.037 at 700nm, respectively. The TPCs and TFCs of these extracts were determined to be in the range of 33.590±1.702 to 657.72±0.500mgTAE/g of dry weight of extract and 5.61±0.037 to 59.08±0.371mgQE/g of dry weight of extract, respectively. From this study, we concluded that S. dentata could be a valuable source of antioxidants.