LAUSR

Aerva lanata (Amaranthaceae) is a tropical weed commonly found in fields and wasteland. Several biological activities of this plant have been reported, such as antihyperglycemic, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities. Different antioxidant assays including DPPH radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ABTS radical scavenging assays were assessed to compare antioxidant potentials of plant extracts. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined. HPLC analysis was used to quantify the amount of ferulic acid. From the results, the leaf extract showed the strongest radical scavenging activity as measured by DPPH and ABTS assays with IC50 values of 136 μg/ml and 58 mg TEAC/g extract, respectively. Similarly, the highest reducing power of the leaf extract was observed at 70 mmol FeSO4 /100 g extract. HPLC quantification of ferulic acid yielded values of 1.58, 1.53, and 1.33 μg/100 g extract for the leaf, stem and root extracts, respectively. Thus, A. lanata leaf extract may be suitable for further development and application as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products due to its potent in vitro antioxidant activities and high phenolic contents.