Comparative Analysis of Free Radical Scavenging in Moringa oleifera, Sauropus androgynus and Their Dynamic Synergy

Background: Antioxidants play an important role in guarding the cells from oxidative damage due to free radicals. Moringa oleifera and Sauropus androgynus are known leafy plants which have satisfying nutritive value and medicinal properties. There is a lack of data on antioxidant activity of combination extract. Objective: This study aims to assess the antioxidant potential of Moringa oleifera, Sauropus androgynus methanolic leaf extracts, and the combination extract of the two plant leaves. Materials and Methods: 100g of each plant sample combination was extracted with 99% methanol. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening tests were performed for each extract. DPPH and ABTS assay were performed for three plant extracts and two standard solutions (ascorbic acid and BHT) at five concentrations. Percentage of inhibition and IC50 value were calculated. Results and Discussion: Kruskal-Wallis H test was performed for the non-normally distributed data. Significant difference in the percentage of free radical inhibition value between the five antioxidants was observed (P<0.05). Ascorbic acid showed the highest performance among the five antioxidants (mean rank=14.00) in both assays. Among the three plant samples, Moringa oleifera shown the highest free radical scavenging activity (mean rank=8.00). The combination extract shown superior performance at high extract concentration (1000μg/mL). The rich vitamin and lipid contents possessed by Sauropus androgynus leaves promised its nutritive value for dietary and herbal supplement purposes. Conclusion: The addition of Sauropus androgynus leaf extract in Moringa oleifera leaf herbal formulation is promising and considerable with its own nutritive value.