Alocasia cordfolia (A. cordfolia), locally known in Malaysia as “Birah negeri”, is one of the most abundant natural resources in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemical constituents which possess antioxidant potential from A. cordfolia rhizomes, and provide possible sources for future novel antioxidant substances in food and pharmaceutical formulations. The rhizomes of A. cordfolia were extracted with different solvents by increasing the polarity from chloroform, acetone, and ethanol. The phytochemical analysis of extracts was conducted by standard phytochemical methods and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Different solvent extracts were then used for the evaluation of total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and in vitro antioxidant activities. Correlation between the antioxidant activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents was analyzed using Pearson’s coefficient. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical investigations showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, phytosterols, steroids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, and fixed oils and fats. Ethanol extract showed the highest total phenolic content (134.2±3.4 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) and total flavonoid content (71.8±1.8 mg rutin equivalent/g). All the extracts had antioxidant activity whereas the highest activity was observed with ethanol extract. Both total phenols and total flavonoids were significantly positively correlated with the radical scavenging activity on DPPH, superoxide anion, ABTS, and hydroxyl. A. cordfolia rhizomes can be used as a potent source of antioxidants, and specific bioactive ingredients and mechanisms of action are still required to be further studied.
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