Antioxidative Activity and Phenols Content in Five Tropical Lamiaceae Plants

Abstract

The total antioxidants content in five Lamiaceae plants were examined. Fresh
Plecranthus amboinicus Lour. Indonesia leaves were collected from Jakarta,
Indonesia and leaves of Plecranthus amboinicus Lour. Malaysia, Pogostemon
cablin Benth., Solenostemon scutellariodes Red and Solenostemon
scutellariodes Mix Colour were collected from Kuantan, Malaysia. Leaves
were freeze-dried, ground and extracted using methanol. The extracted leaves
were determined the scavenging activity of the stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-
picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Results showed that the
P. cablin Benth. leaves exhibited the significant (p<0.05) highest degree of
antioxidant activity (63.18%). It was followed by S. scutellariodes Red
(54.81%) and S. scutellariodes Mix Colour (50.44%) which both showed
significant differences (p<0.05). Both of the P. amboinicus Lour. Malaysia and
P. amboinicus Lour. Indonesia displayed the lowest degree of antioxidant
activity (p>0.05), i.e 47.07% and 45.38%, respectively. The P. cablin Benth.
showed the total phenols (7.64 mg/g fw) but insignificant with the P.
amboinicus Lour. Indonesia (7.42 mg/g fw), S. scutellariodes Red (7.32 mg/g
fw) and P. amboinicus Lour. Malaysia (7.23 mg/g fw). Only the S.
scutellariodes Mix Colour showed significantly (p?0.05) compared total
phenols (5.64 mg/g fw). This research provided a chemical basis for some of
the health benefits claimed for in folk medicine and warrant further studies to
develop it as a natural functional food.