Total Flavonoid, Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Erechtites valerianifolia Herb Extracts

Erechtites valerianifolia (Link ex Wolf.) Less. ex DC. or "Jonggolan" (Indonesian name), a member of the family Asteraceae, was collected from Meru Betiri Forest, Indonesia. This study investigated the antioxidant activity of E. valerianifolia and its total phenolic and total flavonoid content. Methanol, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, and hexane extracts of E. valerianifolia herbs were tested using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals scavenging assay. Antioxidant activity was expressed in IC 50 values of the n-hexane, dichlormethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts (367.8000 ppm, 139.5200 ppm, 911.0540 ppm, and 401.9530 ppm, respectively) with the best antioxidant activity observed in dichloromethane (DCM) extract. Total phenolic content (TPC) of the n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were 10.6400 +/- 0.0338 mg GAE/g; 6.4500 +/- 0.0000 mg GAE/g; 6.6900 +/- 0.0323 mg GAE/g; and 3.2300 +/- 0.0000 mg GAE/g, respectively (with gallic acid as reference). Total flavonoid content (TFC) of the n-hexane, dichlormethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were 1.4000 +/- 0.0784 mg QE/g; -2.3900 +/- 0.0000 mg QE/g; 0.4400 +/- 0.0000 mg QEIg, and 0.1100 +/- 0.0000 mg QE/g, respectively (with quercetine as reference). Total flavonoid content of the n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were 2.3700 +/- 0.1180 mg RE/g; -2.7900 +/- 0.0000 mg RE/g; 0.9100 +/- 0.0000 mg RE/g; and 0.2400 +/- 0.0000 mg RE/g, respectively (with rutin as reference). The correlation between total phenolic/total flavonoid content and antioxidant test was less than 50%, indicating no direct/negative correlation between polyphenolic content of the extracts and antioxidant activity.