EVALUATION OF THE ACTIVITY OF FREE RADICAL CAPTURE IN THE PLANT SPECIES Eucharis x grandiflora PLANCH. & LINDEN, AMARYLLIDACEAE

The plant species Eucharis x grandiflora Planch. & Linden is traditionally used for heart attacks, mosquito bites, snake bites, rashes and flu treatment, however there are few reports on phytochemical studies and therapeutic activity in scientific journals, which may pose a health risk to individuals who they use it. The objective of this work was to evaluate the activity of free radical capture in E. x grandiflora by the photochromic method DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and to quantify phenolic compounds (total phenols and total flavonoids) through their concentrations by UV / Visible spectroscopy. In order to perform the tests, the plant material (bulbs, flowers, leaves, floral stem and root) were dried and submitted to maceration with different solvents: water (H2O), ethanol (CH3CH2OH) and water (H2O) + ethanol (CH3CH2OH). Subsequently, phytochemical screening was performed in the extracts to verify if they had compounds responsible for fighting free radicals in the body. As a result, it was verified that the extract produced from the leaves had a higher concentration of phenolic compounds and flavonoids and, consequently, better free radical capture activity. The aqueous extract of the leaves (LH) had a higher concentration of phenolic compounds, with a value of 171.4 mg/100 g, the ethanol extract of the leaves (LE) had a higher concentration of flavonoids, such as 114.6 mg/100 g and the hydroethanolic extract of the leaves (LHE) presented better CE 50 (concentration that eliminates 50% of the free radicals) with the value of 82.34 mu g/mL, being considered moderate when compared with other vegetal species.