Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant properties by DPPH radical scavenger activity of ruellia brittoniana flower

Abstract

Objective: The genus Ruellia has been widely used in traditional and Ayurvedic medicine as an antioxidant. This study seeks to examine the antioxidant activity of the species Ruellia brittoniana. Methods: In this study, Ruellia brittoniana flowers were acquired from Depok, West Java, Indonesia. The flowers were cleaned and ground to form a powder, then dissolved in hexane, ethanol and ethyl acetate solvents. These three extracts were then tested for phytochemicals and thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis. Ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts were also analyzed for antioxidants using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Results: Phytochemical results from the three extracts proved that Ruellia brittoniana contains flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, glycosides and triterpenes. These results are comparable to the results from TLC analysis, which showed the samples contained 4–5 chemical components. Furthermore, the best antioxidant activity resulted from the ethyl acetate extract of the Ruellia brittoniana flower with an IC50 value of 68.42 ppm. Conclusion: An ethyl acetate extract from the Ruellia brittoniana flower can be used as a natural source of additional antioxidants.