title: Antioxidants from tropical herbs.
abstract: Plants that contain high amounts of polyphenolic compounds are potential candidates for natural antioxidant sources. Studies are on going in the search for new sources of antioxidants. Not much data are available on the antioxidant capacity of tropical herbs. With this in mind, 19 commonly consumed Malaysian herbs were analyzed for their polyphenolic content and antioxidant activities. A majority of these plants have never been studied before with regards to their polyphenolic content and antioxidant activities. The shoots of Anacardium occidentale, the shoots and fruits of Barringtonia racemosa, Pithecellobium jiringa and Parkia speciosa had high polyphenolic contents (> 150 microg gallic acid equivalents/mg dried plant) and antioxidant activities when measured using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (>1.2 mM) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays (>2.4 mM). A strong correlation was observed between the two antioxidant assays (FRAP vs TEAC) implying that the plants could both scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidants. There was also a strong correlation between the antioxidant activities and polyphenolic content suggesting the observed antioxidant activities were contributed mainly by the polyphenolics in the plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rasyidah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Razab
authors.forename: Azlina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdul-Aziz
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry*; D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000737:chemistry; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000737:chemistry; D005609:Free Radicals; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D016877:Oxidants / Q000737:chemistry; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000737:chemistry; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D059808:Polyphenols; D019163:Reducing Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005419:Flavonoids; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005609:Free Radicals; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D016877:Oxidants; D010636:Phenols; D059808:Polyphenols; D019163:Reducing Agents; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; C002502:2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid