Investigating the Antioxidant Capacities, Total Phenolic Contents, and alpha-Amylase Inhibitory Activities of Capparis spinosa L. Methanolic Extracts

Free radicals play an important role in developing or treatment of degenerative diseases. Using plants to treat various diseases has been done since thousand years ago, in which many of the human made drugs were obtained from plants. Accordingly, herbal medicines have been focused as new sources of antioxidants with limited complications. The present study was aimed to evaluate the total phenolic contents, antioxidant and alpha-amylase inhibitory activities of hydroalcoholic extract of Capparis (C.) spinosa L. The antioxidant power were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay and the total phenolic contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method. In the DPPH assay, the IC50 for leaves and root extracts were 13.3 and 15.8 mg/ml respectively. The IC50 for ascorbic acid was 1.02 mg/ml. The antioxidant capacities in FRAP method were 5.80 and 1.43 mg/ml for leave and root extracts, respectively. The total phenolic contents of roots and leaves were 268.6 mg and 259.7 mg galic acid per 100 grams powder, respectively. The IC50 of alpha-amylase inhibitory activities for leaves and root extracts were 5.93 and 3.89 mg/ml respectively. This study found that the antioxidant capacity of leaves extract is more than the root extract, while the phenolic contents of root is more than the leaves extract. On the other hand, the alpha-amylase inhibitory activities of leaves were more than the root. The findings of this study showed no relationship between phenol contents, antioxidant activities, and enzyme inhibitory power of extracts. In addition, notwithstanding a lower phenolic content in the leaves extract than the root extract, leaves extract has higher antioxidant capacity and inhibitory power.