• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.329-338
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• 2008

The aim of the study is to investigate the antioxidant activity through, reducing power, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH), nitric oxide radical (NO), superoxide radical, hydrogen peroxide radical ($H_2O_2$) scavenging activity and the amount of total phenolic compounds of chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves of Talinum portulacifolium. Chloroform extract of leaves of T. portulacifolium showed highest antioxidant activity, with a direct relationship between activity and concentration of extracts ($15-240\;{\mu}g/mL$). Among all the extracts, the highest amount of the total polyphenolic compounds was found in the chloroform extract. Chloroform extract of T. portulacifolium showed an important free radical scavenging activity towards the DPPH, NO, Superoxide and $H_2O_2$ radicals, with $IC_{50}$ values of 133.26, 165.75, 156.34 and $135.29\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. In the lipid peroxidation assay, extracts of chloroform and ethyl acetate showed a remarkable inhibitory activity. The extracts showed significant activity in all the experiments but lower than the standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid.