Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant evaluation of methanolic extracts from Lepidium sativum seeds and Averrhoa carambola fruits: A comparative analysis

This study compares the antioxidant potential and phytochemical composition of methanolic extracts from Lepidium sativum (seeds) and Averrhoa carambola (fruits), chosen due to their traditional medicinal uses and differing plant parts, to explore their potential health benefits. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content, and various in vitro antioxidant assays—including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, reducing power, superoxide dismutase (SOD) scavenger, and ferric thiocyanate tests—were evaluated. The results revealed that Lepidium sativum exhibited significantly higher TPC (270.34 mg/gm) and flavonoid content (85.05 mg/gm) compared to Averrhoa carambola (TPC: 49.04 mg/gm, flavonoids: 21.10 mg/gm). Additionally, Lepidium sativum consistently showed superior antioxidant efficacy across all assays, with higher inhibition percentages and lower inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) values for DPPH, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide dismutase scavenging. The pronounced antioxidant activity of Lepidium sativum, likely due to its enriched phenolic and flavonoid content, highlights its potential as a natural remedy for managing oxidative stress-related diseases and warrants further investigation into its therapeutic applications for oxidative damage management.