Comparative Study of Phytochemical, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxic Activities and Phenolic Content of Syzygium aqueum (Burm. f. Alston f.) Extracts Growing in West Sumatera Indonesia

Abstract

Syzygium aqueum, consisting of various fruit colors, is one of the plants that have been used as traditional medicine. This study aims to evaluate and compare phytochemical, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities and total phenolic content of leaves and stem bark extracts of S. aqueum with pink and red fruits, in order to identify the best extract that can be used as a natural antioxidant. Phytochemical constituents were evaluated qualitatively using chemicals, while cytotoxic activities were identified using the brine shrimp lethality test. Total phenolic content was determined via the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Leaves and stem bark of S. aqueum contained flavonoids, phenolics, and triterpenoids, but the stem bark also contained saponins and alkaloids. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of leaves and stem bark were categorized as very powerful antioxidants to DPPH (IC50 9.71–38.69 μg/mL) and hydrogen peroxide (IC50 16.44–44.02 μg/mL), while hexane extracts were inactive. Methanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane extracts of leaves and stem bark were categorized as moderately cytotoxic to A. salina larvae (LC50 104.04–440.65 μg/mL). Comparing leaves and stem barks, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of stem bark extracts were higher than those of leaves extracts. Total phenolic content of leaves extracts was higher than that of stem bark extracts where the order of total phenolic content progressed from methanol extracts > ethyl acetate extracts > hexane extracts. Therefore, the stem bark of S. aqueum was identified as the better source of natural antioxidant compared with the leaves.

Watery Rose Apple: A Comprehensive Review of Its Traditional Uses, Nutritional Value, Phytochemistry, and Therapeutic Merits against Inflammation-Related Disorders

“…The inhibition of oxidative stress and suppression of inflammation can mitigate many pathological conditions including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, diabetic complications, and many other diseases [ 63 ]. These effects are mostly due to the presence of phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and lignans [ 34 ]. Furthermore, the presence of phenolic compounds and other constituents such as tannins, proanthocyanins, terpenoids, and essential and volatile oils contributed to the anti-inflammatory effects of the plant extracts.…”

“…In general, the plant is rich in phenolic compounds belonging to different classes such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, and lignans [ 17 , 19 ]. It also contains terpenoids and volatile oils, as shown in Table 2 [ 12 , 15 , 18 , 20 , 33 , 34 ]. Limited studies have been focused on the isolation and identification of bioactive compounds from the fruits and stem bark of the plant.…”

“…The results proved that an increase in extract concentration led to a high percentage of mortality of Artemia salina larvae. The methanol extract of the stem bark had the highest cytotoxic activity toward A. salina [ 34 ]. Subacute toxicity studies of the leaf extract showed no toxicity effects of the extract up to concentrations of 2000 mg/kg [ 21 ].…”

“…On the other hand, the ethyl acetate extracts of the leaves were more potent than the stem bark. This activity was attributed to the higher amount of total phenolic content of leaf extract [ 34 ]. Furthermore, the antioxidant properties of fresh wild fruits were found in the range of 138.4 to 144.5 mg ascorbic acid eq/100 g, as shown Table 3 .…”

Green Honey Deli Water Apple (Syzygium aqueum (Burm. f.) Alston “Madu Deli Hijau”): Evaluation of Antioxidant Activities and Phytochemical Content

“…There are many varieties of water apple, for example, the green honey deli water apple. The antioxidant activity of water apple had previously been studied [9], [10]. However, the comparison of antioxidant activities of three different parts of this variety of water apple with different levels of solvent polarity had not yet been reported.…”