Free radical-scavenging phytochemicals of hot water extracts of Acacia confusa leaves detected by an on-line screening method

Acacia confusa Merr. (Leguminosae), a species native to Taiwan, is widely distributed on the hills and lowlands of Taiwan, and has been traditionally used as a medicine. In this study, phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of hot water extracts from A. confusa leaves were investigated for the first time. Among all the fractions from hot water extracts of leaves, the EtOAc-soluble fraction exhibits the best DPPH radical-scavenging activity, superoxide radical-scavenging activity, and reducing power. In addition, a rapid screening method, on-line RP-HPLC-DPPH system, for individual antioxidants in the EtOAc-soluble fraction was developed. Furthermore, following solid phase extraction (SPE) and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography 12 pure phenolic compounds, including five major compounds (gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, myricetin 3-glucopyranoside, and myricetin 3-rhamnopyranoside) were detected using the developed screening method. These results demonstrated that hot water extracts of A. confusa leaves have excellent antioxidant activities and thus have great potential as a source for natural health products.