Abstract:
Abstract:
Introduction & Objectives
Poruthumaan is an underutilized medicinal plant growing in wild areas of Northern Province, Sri
Lanka. It is traditionally consumed for relieving menstrual problems and arthritis. Despite its
extensive ethnomedicinal use, its antioxidant potential remains underexplored.
Methodology
This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant properties of Poruthumaan leaf extracts prepared
using methanol (80% v/v), acetone (80% v/v), and water. Dried leaf powder–solvent mixture
(1:10, w/v) was homogenized for 10 minutes and then shaken for 1 hour. The extracts were then
separated and concentrated using rotary evaporation. The extracts were subjected to evaluation
of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonate) (ABTS)
assay, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). All experiments were conducted in
triplicate, and the data were statistically analyzed using MINITAB software.
Results
The acetone extract had the highest TPC (498.6 ± 4.92 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g), followed by
methanol (411.06 ± 2.01 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g) and water (176.12 ± 4.18 mg Gallic acid
equivalent/g) extracts. A similar trend was observed for TFC, where the acetone extract showed
the highest TFC (3.33 ± 0.37 mg Quercetin equivalent/g), followed by methanol (1.98 ± 0.16 mg
Quercetin equivalent/g) and water (1.087 ± 0.087 mg Quercetin equivalent/g) extracts.
Antioxidant assays demonstrated strong radical-scavenging and reducing capacities, with DPPH
(IC50 = 43.90 μg/mL; standard IC50 = 37.53 μg/mL), ABTS (IC50 = 28.88 μg/mL; standard
IC50 = 25.44 μg/mL), and FRAP (45.39 μg/mL; standard = 42.15 μg/mL), with no statistically
significant differences (p > 0.05) between sample and
standard.
Conclusion
The findings indicate significant antioxidant activity of Poruthumaan leaves, however, further
research is needed to establish its potential health benefits.
