Malaysian
Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 26 No 4
(2022): 698 - 707
EVALUATION OF THE TOTAL FLAVONOID, PHENOLIC CONTENT,
AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN SABAH SNAKE GRASS EXTRACTS (Clinacanthus nutans
Lindau)
(Penilaian Jumlah Kandungan Flavonoid,
Fenolik dan Aktiviti Antioksida bagi Ekstrak Belalai Gajah (Clinacanthus nutans Lindau))
Idham Zaharudie and Chong Shu Xian*
Faculty of Pharmacy,
SEGi University, No. 9, Jalan Teknologi, Taman Sains
Selangor, Kota Damansara, PJU 5,
47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: chongshuxian@segi.edu.my
Received: 3 March 2022; Accepted: 12 April 2022; Published: 25 August 2022
Abstract
Clinacanthus nutans Lindau (C. nutans) or locally known in Malaysia as the Sabah Snake Grass (SSG)
contains phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. The leaves of
the plant exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties,
thus, it was traditionally used to treat venomous injuries, rheumatism, and
sprains throughout Asia. Previous studies of the antioxidative activity in C.
nutans extracts have been carried out under different conditions or using
different extraction methods, which may have resulted in a varied yield of
antioxidative constituents. Thus, this study aimed to compare the total
phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidative
activity of C. nutans methanol, water, and hexane extracts using the
traditional solvent extraction method. Results showed that the water extract
contains the highest TPC value (3.66 ± 0.11 mg GAE/g) followed by methanol
(2.84 ± 0.36 mg GAE/g) and hexane (0.13 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g). The TPC values of
methanol and water extracts were significantly higher than hexane (p <
0.05). For TFC value, the methanol extract was the highest (1.91 ± 0.05 mg
QE/g), followed by water extract (1.50 ± 0.01 mg QE/g) and hexane was not
detected. The radical scavenging activity (RSA) decreased in the order of
methanol > water > hexane extract. In conclusion, the study suggests that
high phenolic and flavonoid contents in C. nutans extracts may be the
key factor for it to act as an excellent source of natural antioxidants.
Keywords: Sabah snake grass, total phenolic content, total flavonoid
content, radical scavenging activity
Abstrak
Clinacanthus
nutans Lindau (C. nutans) atau lebih dikenali oleh penduduk
tempatan di Malaysia sebagai belalai gajah mengandungi fitokimia seperti
flavonoid dan asid fenolik. Dedaun tumbuhan berikut mempamerkan sifat-sifat
seperti antioksida, anti radang, dan antivirus. Oleh itu, ia secara tradisionalnya
digunakan di seluruh asia untuk merawat kecederaan berbisa, sakit sendi, dan
seliuh. Kajian terdahulu mengenai aktiviti antioksida dalam ekstrak C.
nutans menggunakan kaedah ekstrak yang berbeza atau dalam keadaan yang
berbeza. Justeru, ini boleh menjana hasil kandungan antioksidan yang berbeza.
Kajian ini betujuan membuat penilaian jumlah kandungan fenolik (TPC), flavonoid
(TFC), dan aktiviti antioksida bagi ekstrak metanol, air, dan heksana daripada C.
nutans dengan kaedah pengekstrakan pelarut tradisional. Keputusan
menunjukkan bahawa ekstrak air mengandungi kandungi TPC tertinggi (3.66 ± 0.11
mg GAE/g) diikuti metanol (2.84 ± 0.36 mg GAE/g) and heksana (0.13 ± 0.03 mg
GAE/g). Bagi nilai TFC, ekstrak methanol adalah tertinggi (1.91 ± 0.05 mg QE/g),
mingikuti ekstrak air (1.50 ± 0.01 mg QE/g) dan heksana (tidak dikesan). Nilai
TPC ekstrak metanol dan air adalah jauh lebih tinggi daripada heksana (p <
0.05). Perencatan radikal bebas (RSA) bagi ekstrak dalam tertib menurun adalah
seperti berikut; metanol > heksana > air. Konklusinya, kajian ini
mencadangkan bahawa kandungan fenolik dan flavonoid yang tinggi dalam ekstrak C.
nutans mungkin menjadi faktor utama untuk ia bertindak sebagai sumber
antioksida semula jadi yang hebat.
Kata kunci: belalai
gajah, jumlah kandungan flavonoid, jumlah kandungan fenolik, perencatan radikal
bebas
Graphical Abstract
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