Comparative examination of phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant efficacy of Chenopodium album L. and Chenopodium pumilio R. Br.

Background and Aims: Traditional indigenous system of medicine employed many Chenopodium species to treat a wide range of ailments. Therefore, the current study aims to evaluate the phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of the species Chenopodium album and Chenopodium pumilio.Methods: Phenolics and flavonoid content were quantified using spectrophotometric techniques. The antioxidant activity of Chenopodium extracts was evaluated by assaying ferric reducing antioxidant power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, phosphomolybdenum reducing power, ferrous ion chelating activity, hydrogen peroxide radical scav enging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, deoxyribose degradation activity, and β-carotene bleaching activity.Results: In C. album and C. pumilio, total phenolic concentration was 17.5–23.8 and 13.3–25.3 mg tannic acid equivalent/g, respectively, and flavonoid content was 0.21–0.85 mg and 0.10–0.89 mg quercetin equivalent/g, respectively. Thus, C. pumilio had a higher content of phenolics and flavonoids than C. album. However, comparison of extracts in different solvents showed that ethanolic and aqueous extracts exhibited higher phenolics and flavonoid content than other solvent systems. The antioxidant capability of the species, determined by antioxidant assays, varied with the species evaluated and the solvents used for extraction. Remarkably, the correlation coefficient of different antioxidant assays with the phenolics and flavonoid content in both species showed discrepancy.Conclusion: Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the Chenopodium species studied had higher phenolics, flavonoids, and free radical scavenging activity than methanolic and acetonic extracts. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the studied species provide a potential source of antioxidants for drug formulation.