ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF MALLOTUS PHILIPPINENSIS FRUIT AND BARK

ABSTRACT

Several extracts from Mallotus philippinensis fruits and bark were prepared and evaluated for their total antioxidant activity (TAA), antiradical activity against DPPH· (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) and reducing power. The total phenolics and tannin contents in extracts were determined. The extract of the bark showed the strongest antiradical activity and reduction power; its TAA was 5.27 mmol Trolox equivalents/g. The TAA of other extracts ranged from 0.05 to 1.79 mmol Trolox equivalents/g extract. The content of total phenolics in the bark extract was 541 mg/g. The content of tannins in MP-4, expressed as absorbance units per mg at 500 nm, was found to be 0.412. Several phenolic constituents in the extracts were detected by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using a gradient solvent system with UV-DAD detection. Acetone was a suitable solvent for extraction of natural antioxidants from M. philippinensis fruits.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

An acetonic and methanolic extraction of Mallotus philippinensis fruit and bark affords extracts that have been characterized as possessing strong antioxidant activities; this may open new avenues for the utilization of these extract as nutraceuticals. The biological activity of compounds present in the extracts has been well documented in many studies published in scientific journals. We want to emphasize that a procyanidin-rich extract from pine (Pinus maritime) bark was patented under the trade name of Pycnogenol (PYC) and is utilized throughout the world as a nutritional supplement and as a phytochemical remedy for various diseases ranging from chronic inflammation to circulatory dysfunction (Packer et al. 1999).