Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of selected wild leafy vegetables grown in Bangladesh: A cheapest source of antioxidants.

Nowadays, more attention has been paid on wild plants as new source of natural antioxidants. Therefore, methanolic extracts of 10 traditionally consumed wild leafy vegetables of Bangladesh were analyzed for their total phenolic content (TPC) and free radical scavenging activity. Folin–Ciocalteu method followed by spectrophotometric measurement was used to quantify the TPC of the selected wild leafy vegetables. Free radical scavenging activity was examined utilizing 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Different concentrations of the plant extract were applied to ascertain the dose response relationship in inhibiting DPPH free radical. The results revealed that the TPC ranged from 102.20 to 710.42 mg GAE/100g dry weight (DW). The highest TPC was observed in Bauhinia acuminata (Shetokanchan) while Leucas aspera (Shetodhron) exhibited the lowest TPC among the undertaken vegetables. The studied samples proportionately inhibited DPPH with increasing concentrations. At high concentration (500 µg.mL-1), the percentage inhibition of DPPH radical by plant extract ranged from 68.1 ±2.65 % to 93.1 ±1.23 %. The highest DPPH radical inhibition was observed in Bauhinia acuminata (Shetokanchan) (93.10 ±1.23 %), followed by Commelina benghalensis (Bat baittashak) (91.97 ±1.31 %), Hydrocotyle sibthorpiodes L. (Sakumubakla) (91.83 ±2.13 %). The lowest DPPH radical inhibition among the studied samples was observed in Leucas aspera (Shetodhron) (68.1 ±2.65 %). IC50 values measured by DPPH assay in this study ranged from 11.64 to 313.79 µg.mL-1. The study findings indicated that the samples under study possesses strong activity against DPPH, and thus could be used as natural antioxidants in the food and/or pharmaceutical industry.