Effect of Extraction Solvent on Total Phenol, Flavonoid Content, and Antioxidant Activity of Avicennia Officinalis

The mangrove plant - Avicennia officinalis L has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant therapy. In this study, we optimize the extraction process using the easily obtainable solvents with different polarities toward obtaining high total phenolic- and flavonoid- contents from Avicennia officinalis L's leaves. The influences of solvents (i.e., methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, dichloromethane, and chloroform) in the extraction process on total phenolic-, flavonoid- contents and their antioxidant activity were investigated. Avicennia officinalis L was extracted using six solvents. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by the phytochemical screening method. The antioxidant activity of extracted phenolics and flavonoids was studied by using 2,2 diphenyl 1 picrylhydrazy (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and 2,2 azinobis (3 ethylbenzothiazoline 6 sulfonate) (ABTS+) radical scavenging assay. As a result, the highest extraction yield was obtained using methanol (10.56%). In addition, the extract obtained using acetone solvent exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay. Meanwhile, the extract obtained using ethyl acetate solvent showed the highest antioxidant activity in the ABTS+ assay. The acetone- extract also exhibited high phenolic content (100.64 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid content (95.44 mg QCE/g). This study confirms that, besides commonly used solvents such as methanol, ethanol, etc., acetone is also a good solvent for extracting polyphenols from the mangrove plant - Avicennia officinalis L. for antioxidants.