Antioxidant activities of Ziziphus mauritiana seed extracts from different extraction methods

Ziziphus is a genus in Rhamnaceae family which the fruits and seeds have been widely used since ancient time for the treatments of insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, excessive sweating and thirst. Z. mauritiana is a tropical fruit tree widely distributed in many Asian countries including Myanmar and Thailand. However, the available scientific report on biological activities of this plant is very limited. The seeds of Z. mauritiana were extracted using soxhlet extraction methods with different solvents including petroleum ether, hexane, ethanol methanol and decoction with distilled water, respectively. The extracts were tested for in vitro antioxidant activities using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method. From the results, ethanolic extract from soxhlet extraction exhibit high DPPH scavenging activity with EC₅₀ of 33.55±4.43µg/ml and the highest ferric reducing antioxidant power. Phytochemical analysis of Z. mauritiana seed extracts was also conducted.