A comparative study on phytochemical screening, quantification of phenolic contents and antioxidant properties of different solvent extracts from various parts of Pistacia lentiscus L

Abstract

Within the framework of discovering new antioxidants from natural sources, this work focus on screening of phytochemical constituents, the variation in the total phenolic content and the antioxidant capacities from different parts (fruits, twigs and leaves) of Pistacia lentiscus L., from two different regions of Morocco; Moulay Idriss Zerhoun (MIZ) and Melloussa (MLS) was studied. Thirty extracts were prepared from fruits, twigs, and leaves using solvents of different polarity (hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, ethanol and water). The tests of antioxidant activities were assessed by employing two different assays the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and phosphomolybdenum (TAC). The screening tests showed the existence of tannins, flavonoids, saponins, sterols, triterpenes, oses, holosides, reducing sugars and mucilages. The quantitative analysis has proved that the whole plant contains a high amount of total phenolic, this wealth increases as and when the polarity of extraction solvents used increases. The whole plant served as a great source of naturally occurring antioxidants, this study provides that the aqueous extract of Pistacia lentiscus (leaves and twigs) from MIZ is a great natural antioxidant compared to quercetin standard. The results show a very significant positive correlation between the TAC and DPPH assays in relation to the amount of total phenolic. Keywords: Pistacia lentiscus, Phytochemical screening, Phenolic content, Antioxidant activities