Preparation and phytochemical characterisation of antioxidant active ethanol extract of agarwood (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk) leaf (EEAL) using liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS)

Abstract

Agarwood (Aqularia malaccensis Lamk) has been cultivated, especially by locals in Bohorok, North Sumatra, Indonesia, for its perfumed woods. However, its leaf extract has not been characterised phytochemically, although it has been utilised by locals as conventional herbals and was reportedly to possess antioxidant activity. In this work ethanol extract of Agarwood leaf (EEAL) has been prepared by maseration technique at room temperature and evaporated under vacum. The antioxidant activity was tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazylhydrate (dPPH) free radical assay, and the phytochemical characteristics were analysed using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS) technique. It was found that antioxidant activity of the EEAL of 27.9 ppm was very strong. Identification using LC-MS revealed that existence of phenolic group compounds, i.e.: chellol-ß-D-glucoside; mangiferine; 6,17-epoxylathyrol-5; were responsible for the strong antioxidant activity of the EEAL.