Quantification of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents, and Evaluation of Free Radical Scavenging Potential of Vernonia cinerea

Abstract

The present manuscript is focused to quantify the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and to evaluate the free radical scavenging potential of a hydro-ethanolic extract of Vernonia cinerea. The Folin-Ciocalteau method was employed to estimate the total phenolic contents, while total flavonoid contents were determined by a colorimetric method using aluminium chloride. V. cinerea extract (VCE) was evaluated to scavenge several free radicals such as DPPH, superoxide and nitric oxide. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in VCE were found to be 112.41 ± 1.56 mgGAE/g and 13.61 ± 1.82 mgQE/g of dried extract respectively. VCE significantly scavenged DPPH, superoxide, and nitric oxide radicals in a concentration-dependent manner. Ascorbic acid was used as the reference compound to compare the antioxidant potential of VCE. The IC50 value was used to express the free radical scavenging capacity. The IC50 values of VCE against DPPH, superoxide, and nitric oxide free radicals were found to be 429.94, 451.72, and 400.74 μg/ml respectively. Conclusively, VCE contained a considerable amount of phenolic and flavonoid contents that might contribute to its antioxidant potential against DPPH, superoxide, and nitric oxide free radicals.