Antioxidant Activity of Elaeis guineensis Leaf Extract: An Alternative Nutraceutical Approach in Impeding Aging

The normal mammalian system had evolved to sustain the production of deleterious free radicals at bay. However, aging had exerted the deterioration of this system, making the subject both susceptible and vulnerable towards exacerbation or occurrence of diseases. Thus, the search for antioxidants begins. Rather constituting as a rich source to Malaysia reservoir, most plants do provide an array of phytochemicals that may contribute to reduction of disease and slowing of aging. Concurrently, the present paper reports on methanol extraction of leaves studied from Elaeis guineensis or commonly known as oil palm leaves. The extract was screened for possible antioxidant activities by 2, 2- diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity (DPPH), xanthine oxidase inhibition (XOI), nitric oxide-scavenging activity (NOS) and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity (HPSA) assays. The total phenolic contents were also determined. The extract exhibits antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 814 μg/mL in the DPPH radical scavenging method, 534.04 μg/mL in the NOS assay, 37.48 μg/mL in XOI and 1052.02 μg/mL by the HPSA method based on the concentrations tested respectively. The amount of total phenolics contents was 0.33 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of dry extract. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method was used to screen the presence of antioxidant compounds in the E. guineensis leaf extract. While it's too early to extrapolate the results to humans, the research does suggest the potential of E. guineensis as an anti-aging agent not forgetting also its high bio-accessibility and bioavailability throughout the country.