Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic Content, and Total Flavonoid Content of the Aerial Part of Canna edulis Ker Gawl.

Canna edulis Ker Gawl. (CE) is an important agricultural plant in Vietnam. The whole plant is traditionally used to treat many different diseases. However, scientific evidence on the pharmacological effects and chemical composition of this plant is limited and focuses mainly on the roots. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and quantify the total phenolic and flavonoid content of extracts from the aerial part of CE. The in vitro antioxidant effect was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods. Total phenolic content was evaluated with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and total flavonoid content was evaluated by the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The results showed that the ethyl acetate fraction had the most antioxidant activity with the IC50 values for DPPH and ABTS of 103.73 ± 9.80 and 76.52 ± 3.57 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, the ethyl acetate fraction contained the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid content with values of 70.93 ± 7.18 mg GAE/g extract and 64.93 ± 5.75 mg QE/g extract, respectively. Therefore, the aerial part of CE, especially the ethyl acetate fraction, is a potential plant source for the investigation of antioxidant compounds. Keywords: Canna edulis, antioxidant, flavonoids, phenolic, DPPH, ABTS.