Potent antioxidant activity of black grass jelly (Mesona palustris BL) leaf extract and fractions

Abstract

Black grass jelly (Mesona palustris BL) is an Indonesian traditional food that is rich in antioxidants and believed to have potential for treating various diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. The present study aimed to determine the antioxidant activity of black grass jelly leaf extract as well as fractions using ABTS, DPPH and FRAP methods. Following ethanol extraction and subsequent fractionations, total flavonoid level was determined, followed by antioxidant activity tests using the ABTS, DPPH and FRAP with vitamin C as references. The tests revealed the following order of antioxidant activities, ethyl acetate fraction>extract>water fraction>n-hexane fraction. All test substances had IC50 of <50 ppm, which categorized them as having very high antioxidant activities. In line with this data, on the basis of reducing power, ethyl acetate extract was shown to be the most potent antioxidant, having a value of 20.24 mgAAE/g sample. Overall, results of the present study suggest the potential use of black grass jelly as a part of the therapeutic armamentarium for oxidative stress-related diseases.