Assessing radical scavenging activity, potential antidiabetic, antigout and in vitro anti-inflammatory properties of Syzygium nervosum A.Cunn. ex DC. grown in Vietnam

Abstract

Syzygium nervosum A.Cunn. ex DC., commonly grown in Southern China, Southeast Asia and part of Australia, is among the well-known herbal teas in Vietnam and China. The study aimed to determine phenolics, antioxidant, potential anti-inflammatory, antigout and antidiabetic properties of various extracts of the plant leaves obtained from methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate. The use of the solvents had considerable impacts upon the phenolic composition and bioactivities of the extracts. The methanolic extract contained significantly higher levels of most of the phenolics in comparison to the ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts. It also exhibited the most potent DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 11.76 μg/mL), comparable to that of ascorbic acid. The results demonstrated that the methanolic extract may possess the strongest inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and bovine albumin denaturation with IC50 values averaging 27.66 and 156.55 μg/mL, respectively. Regarding antigout potential, the ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts presented higher activity to inhibit xanthine oxidase. The research provides a better understanding of phenolic constituents and potential health-endorsing properties of S. nervosum, which is important for developing plant-derived agents for disease prevention and treatment.

Keywords

• Syzygium nervosum
• Phenolics
• Antioxidant
• Antidiabetic
• Anti-inflammatory