Effect of different extraction solvents on total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of the Bolboschoenus laticarpus rhizome extracts

The aim of this study was to determine and compare antioxidant activity and total phenol and flavonoid content in various rhizome extracts of Bolboschoenus laticarpus. Methanolic, ethanolic, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts were tested at 250, 500, 625, 750, 825, and 1,000 µg/ml of dry extract concentrations. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using the DPPH method, the total flavonoid content by the aluminium chloride (AlCl3) method and the total phenolic content by th Folin-Ciocalteau method. The results revealed that ethanolic extract had the highest antioxidant capacity (IC50, 0.981 mg/ml) while the chloroform extract showed the lowest activity (IC50, 11.78 mg/ml). Analysis of total phenolic content in different extract types showed that ethyl acetate extract had the highest concentration of phenols while chloroform extracts had the lowestvalues. The highest concentration of flavonoids was noticed in ethyl acetate extract while the lowest concentration was determined in methanolic extract. This study confirmed that rhizome of B. laticarpus has significant antioxidantcapacity and is a good source of phenols and flavonoids.