Antioxidant potentials of successive green solvent extracts from the unexplored Ficus subincisa

Abstract

Ficus subincisa Buch-Ham.Ex Sm. is considered an endemic medicinal plant. The current research
based on the antioxidant potential of four different green solvent extracts obtained by the successive solvent
extraction method from the unexplored F.subincisa leaves was evaluated. Various in vitro assays were
performed to achieve the aim and variation in scavenging potential of the four green extracts, showed the
highest total phenolic content (TPC), Total flavonoid content (TFC), and free radical scavenging potential
against DPPH, ABTS, FRAP Phosphomolybdate, and nitric oxide radical scavenging assay as compared to
other extracts.The extraction of Ficus subincisa with different green solvents namely: d-limonene, isopropyl
alcohol, ethyl lactate, and hydroalcohol.Extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant activity using different
assays namely, DPPH, ABTS, and nitric oxide scavenging. The Folin-Ciocalteau and AlCl3 colorimetric
methods were measured the content of total phenolics and total flavonoids respectively. Reducing power was
determined by phosphomolybdate and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods.Considerable
amount of phenolic and flavonoid contents were recorded in the hydroalcohol extract. Although hydroalcohol
fractions exhibited good antioxidant activities, the most distinguished radical scavenging potential.
Hydroalcohol sowed equivalent to standard in radical scavenging activity by DPPH. Hydroalcohol showed
the higher radical scavenging activity by DPPH (92.03%), Nitric oxide (89.21%) and by ABTS (89.45%),
antioxidant activity, the highest total phenols content (78.67 ± 1.07 mg GAE/g fraction), the highest total
flavonoids content (195.58 ± 3.31 mg quercetin equivalent/g extract fraction). The hydroalcohol extract
showed a reducing power of (93.2%) and (1373.91 ± 4.35 µM/ml Ascorbic acid equivalent) using the
phosphomolybdate and FRAP assays, respectively.Hydroalcohol shows the strongest antioxidant activity, and
it can be attributed to its high content in phenolic and flavonoid compounds. It can be concluded that leaves
of Ficus subincisa can be used as an effective natural source of antioxidant, and as a commercial basis for the
evolution of nutraceuticals