Antioxidant Activities of Chaba Maple (Hibiscus acetosella) Flower Extract

Phenolic compounds are a large group of phytochemical compounds in plants which have antioxidant activity. Hibiscus species were used in traditional medicine in North-America with biological activities. In this study, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activities of Chaba maple (Hibiscus acetosella) flower extract (CFE) in Thailand were investigated. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu assay and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. Antioxidant activities of CFE were examined by DPPH radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging ability methods. The results showed that total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were 91.22±0.68 mg gallic acid equivalent/g fresh matter and 0.31±0.01 mg quercetin equivalent/g fresh matter, respectively. For antioxidant activities, IC50 of DPPH radical scavenging was 57.93±0.37 μg/ml, the power of ferric reducing was 1,707.18±1.99 μM and IC50 of NO radical scavenging was 229.30±0.71 μg/ml. In conclusion, CFE could be potentially used as a new natural bioactive ingredient for nutritional supplements and cosmetics application.