dc.description.abstract | The study of free radical chemistry has been of recent interest in the scientific
community and represents an emerging paradigm in nutraceuticals and disease
management. The objective is to incorporate phytochemicals into nutraceutical
preparations as an alternative to natural antioxidants, which are being phased out
due to possible health hazards and toxicity. This study examined the free radical
structure, phenolic content, and cytotoxic nature of different wild fruits (Syzygium
caryophyllatum, Careya arborea, and Mangifera zeylanica) in Sri Lanka. Hexane
(Hex) ethyl acetate (EA) and aqueous (AQ) fractions were fractionated from crude
methanolic extracts (CR) of fruits and assessed for antioxidant activity by 1-
diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)
tests. The results revealed that EA and AQ fractions of Careya arborea fruit showed
95.51 and 115.74 of DPPH radical scavenging percentage, and CR and EA fractions
of Careya arborea exhibited 341.34 and 261.84 mg TE/g ferric reducing power
respectively. The total phenolic capacity content of the evaluated fruit species
ranged from 22.8 to 285.3 mg GAE/g dry weight. The present study revealed a
strong correlation between free radical scavenging activity and total phenol
activity, representing an R2 = 0.9989 value. Moreover, neither plant extracts nor
fractions were toxic to a normal Vero cell line. Thus, it was concluded that
Syzygium caryophyllatum, Careya arborea, and Mangifera zeylanica species are
positive potent free radical resources | en_US |