Phenolic profile and antioxidant potential of selected plants of Pakistan.

Antioxidants play an important role in inhibiting and scavenging radicals, thus providing protection to humans against infectious and degenerative diseases. Literature shows that the antioxidant activity is high in medicinal plants. Realizing the fact that, this investigation was carried out to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant capacity of methanolic extracts of Acacia leucophloea (bark), Albizia lebbeck (bark, flower, seed), Capparis decidua (root), Cicer arietinum (seeds) and Grewia asiatica (leaves). Barks showed the highest phenolic content as compared to seeds, leaves and roots and the order observed was A. lebbeck bark> A. leucophloea bark> G. asiatica leaves> C. decidua root >A. lebbeck flowers> A. lebbeck seeds>C. arietinum seeds. Phenolic compounds were identified based on their mass spectral characteristics in each extract. Antioxidant capacity measured by three commonly-benched methods, TEAC, FRAP and TRAP assays indicated that all extracts are a good source of natural antioxidants. Investigated extracts appeared to have potential as a health supplement rich in natural antioxidants and merits further intensive study. The results of this study will promote the reasonable usage of these plants in food and pharmacy industries as well as in alternative medicine and natural therapy.