Antioxidant proprieties of Pistacia lentiscus L. leaves extracts

Introduction: Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) is used traditionally in Algeria for gastro-intestinal disorders. In the present study, different antioxidant tests were employed to evaluate the antioxidant activities of crude chloroform, ethyl acetate and aqueous leaf extracts of this plant. Methods: The antioxidant capacity of extracts were determined by the determining the scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), free hydroxyl radicals (HO.), β-carotene/linoleic acid model system, lipid peroxidation and reducing power. Total phenolic content in these extracts was determined using Folin–Ciocalteu’s reagent. Results: Total phenolics varied between 207±0.021 and 390±0.005 mg/g dry weight, expressed as gallic acid equivalents for chloroform extract (CHE) and crude methanolic extract (CE) respectively. Total flavonoid contents were determined using 2% aluminum chloride and they varied between 13±0.003 and 82.37±0.0043 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry weight for aqueous extract (AQE) and ethyl acetate extract (EAE) respectively. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest antioxidant activity using DPPH, hydroxyl radical scavenging and reducing power with an IC50 value of 0.0068±0.0013 mg/ml, 0.16±0.0082 mg/ml and 1.55±0.025 mg/ml respectively. Using the β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay, crude methanolic extract had the highest antioxidant activity with 94% inhibition. BHT was used as positive control in this test. In addition ethyl acetate extract (EAE) and crude methanolic extract (CE) exhibited good anti- lipid peroxidation, with 42.7% and 41%, inhibiting activity respectively in the linoleic acid emulsion system. Conclusion: Pistacia lentiscus L. extracts contain high amounts of phenolics and exhibited high antioxidant activity which is related to these compounds.