Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology (SJST) (Dec 2010)
Antioxidant activities of the standardized water extract from fruit of Phyllanthus emblica Linn.
Abstract
Phyllanthus emblica Linn. is widely used in Thai traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases. The fruit ofP. emblica is known as a rich source of vitamin C, and also contains a mixture of phenolic compounds. In this study, thestandardized water extract of P. emblica fruit was prepared according to Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Total polyphenolcontents of the extract were equivalent to 34.22±1.74 g gallic acid/100g extract. Antioxidant activities of the P. emblicaextract were evaluated by several methods, including DPPH and ABTS•+ radical scavenging assays and FRAP assays. Theresults showed that the extract has an ability of scavenging radicals generated by both DPPH and ABTS•+. Similar to Trolox,the water extract of P. emblica fruit also had a ferric reducing property. Additionally, the extract effectively inhibited H2O2-induced free radical production in human myeloleukemic U937 cells as measured by 2,7-DCF-DA. The results imply that thefruits of P. emblica are potential sources of natural antioxidants, which have free radical scavenging activity and might beuseful for hepato-, cyto-, and radio- protection, as well as reducing oxidative stress in many pathological conditions.
