Antioxidant Properties and Mineral Contents of Different Solvent Extracts of Some Medicinal Plants Cultivated in Algeria

Abstract

The excessive production of free radicals leads to their accumulation in the body and the occurrence of a phenomenon known as oxidative stress. It is important to note that natural antioxidants play a vital role in mitigating the harmful effects of such reactive species. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and mineral content of the aqueous, ethanol and acetone extracts of three Algerian medicinal plants namely; Haloxylon scoparium, Artemisia campestris (L.), and Juniperus phoenicea (L.). Materials and Methods Chemicals and reagentsFolin-Ciocalteu's reagent, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, ascorbic acid, 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6sulfonic) acid (ABTS) were obtained from Sigma (St Louis, MO, USA). Sodium carbonate, gallic acid, aluminum chloride, rutin, potassium persulphate (K2S2O8), sulphuric acid, sodium phosphate, ammonium molybdate, ethanol, and acetone were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (Munich, Germany). Plant materialsThe aerial parts of the study plants including Artemisia campestris, Haloxylon scoparium, and Juniperus phoenicea were collected from their natural habitats in Laghouat region, Algeria (Latitude: 33°47'59 '', Longitude: 2°51'54'', Altitude: 764 m), between the months of March and April, 2021. The voucher specimens were deposited at the Laboratory of Process Engineering, University of Laghouat, with the numbers LGP Ac/03/21, LGP Hc/04/21 and LGP Jp/04/21 for Artemisia campestris, Haloxylon scoparium, and Juniperus phoenicea, respectively. The plants were reduced to a fine powder using electric mill.