Identification, quantification, and antioxidant capacity of active compounds in Fagonia cretica organic extracts

This study aims to identify and quantify the active compounds and antioxidant capacity for scavenging free radicals in the organic extracts of *Fagonia cretica*. Extracts were prepared based on the polarity differences of solvents from the dried plant material, starting with the hydromethanolic extract, followed by fractionation into n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and 1-butanol, respectively. The following compounds were evaluated: saponins, tannins, steroids, terpenes, cardenolides, flavonoids, coumarins, saturated and unsaturated steroids, along with the estimation of phenolic and flavonoid content, and the antioxidant activity as represented by DPPH, ABTS, β-Carotene, and Phenanthroline assays. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) values of the various extracts ranged from 100.91 to 149.98 (µg QE/ mg extract) and from 79.69 to 101.65 (µg QE/ mg extract), respectively. Overall, the butanol extract exhibited higher values for both TPC and TFC. All extracts demonstrated high antioxidant activity and radical scavenging capacity. The extracts showed less efficacy, as indicated by higher IC50 values in the DPPH, ABTS, and β-Carotene assays, and a higher A0.5 value in the Phenanthroline assay, compared to the standards BHA and BHT. Finally, the study revealed that *Fagonia cretica* exhibits strong antioxidant activity, suggesting its potential efficacy against various diseases.