Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties of Ethanol Extract of Terap Fruit Seeds (Artocarpus odoratissimus)

Artocarpus odoratissimus commonly called Terap plant is used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of many diseases. The plant contains several secondary metabolites including terpenoids, flavonoids, stilbenoids, arylbenzofurans, and neolignans found in different parts of the plant. However, little research has been conducted on the chemical profiles and antioxidant activity of Terap fruit seeds extract. This study aimed to investigate the chemical profile, and the antioxidant activity of Terap fruit seeds. Terap fruit seeds were extracted by maceration in ethanol (70%). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract was determined by colorimetric methods. The extract was subjected to liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) analysis to identify the compounds present. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging, and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were 0.1178 ± 0.0099 mg GAE/g and 0.0598 ± 0.0385 mg RE/g, respectively. LC-HRMS/MS analysis identified 44 compounds, including amino acids, fatty acids, phenolics, nitrogen bases, vitamins, organic acids, carbonyl, and thiazole compounds, with five specific phenolic compounds being noted. The extract demonstrated significant antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 25.0984 ± 0.7707 ppm and 17.9385 ± 0.0986 ppm for DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, respectively. The extract also demonstrated high CUPRAC with trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of 288.9660 ± 3.3264 ppm. These findings suggest that Terap fruit seeds has high antioxidant potential, which can be harnessed for the management of oxidative stress-related diseases.