Antioxidants and antibacterial potential of extracts of seed of Quercus leucotrichophora A. camus

Background

The objective of this research was to ascertain how the phenolic profile and associated antioxidant and antibacterial activities were affected by several solvents, including methanol, n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, and water.

Methods

The dried coarse powder of the seeds was fractionated with various solvents after being extracted with methanol. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and Nitric oxide scavenging tests, whilst antibacterial activity was evaluated using the disc diffusion technique.

Results

The outcomes indicate that ethyl acetate is the most efficient solvent for polyphenol extraction. The ethyl acetate fraction of Quercus leucotrichophora seed extract exhibited the greatest DPPH and NO radical scavenger antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀ values of 49.019 ± 0.15 μg/ml and 51.39 ± 0.19 μg/ml, respectively, whereas the aqueous fraction exhibited the lowest antioxidant potential. The Folin-Ciocalteu technique found that the ethyl acetate fraction had a greater phenolic content than the aqueous fraction (157 ± 0.27 mg of equivalent gallic acid (GAE)/g vs. 28 ± 0.28 mg GAE/g). Using an aluminum chloride colorimetric technique, the ethyl acetate fraction had the maximum flavonoid concentration (145 ± 0.37 mg quercetin equivalent QE)/g), whereas the aqueous extract had the lowest (13.1 ± 0.18 mg of QE)/g). In terms of antibacterial efficacy, the ethyl acetate fraction produced a wider inhibition zone against gram positive and gram negtive bacterial strains.

Conclusion

Based on the results, ethyl acetate fraction of Quercus leucotrichophora A. camus seed extract has significant antioxidant activity and may be a beneficial source of natural antioxidants and antibacterial for functional food composition.