Phytochemical Studies from Magnolia alba and Their Antioxidant Activity

The purposes of this study were to investigate the phytochemicals and antioxidant activity from Magnolia alba (Magnoliaceae). The antioxidant activity was investigated using total phenolic content and DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Isolation and purification of the leaf extracts of M. alba yielded six phytochemicals identified as squalene (1), parthenolide (2), vanillin (3), stigmasterol acetate (4), friedelin (5), and β-sitosterol (6). In antioxidant activity, the hexane extract of M. alba showed the highest value of phenolic content with 206.7 mg GAE/g, whereas methanol extract gave the highest inhibition in DPPH assay with 36.0%. However, all compounds were found weak activity in DPPH assay. The implication of this study demonstrates that M. alba could represent a source of molecules with antioxidant potential in the prevention of free radical-related diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes.