Phytochemical Investigation and Antioxidant Activity of Successive Solvent Extracts of Celosia argentea Leaves

Oxidative stress has been one of the key factors to provoke chronic and degenerative disorders, and this has created more interest in finding safe and effective natural antioxidants plants. The aim of the current work was to determine the phytochemical properties and antioxidant activity of successive solvent extracts of Celosia argentea leaves. Successive solvent extraction using solvents of increasing polarity was used on dried leaf powder. Extracts obtained were analyzed in terms of extraction yield, qualitative phytochemical composition, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and in-vitro antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH, ABTS and FRAP test. The outcome indicated that the extraction pattern is polar, and the best yield was realized in the ethanolic extract, then ethyl acetate extract, and chloroform extract. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the existence of several bioactive compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and glycosides that were mainly found in medium to highly polar extracts. The quantitative analysis indicated that the ethanolic extract had the highest values of TPC and TFC, and non-polar extracts had the lowest values. Antioxidant analysis indicated that polar extracts had high free radical clearing and reducing capacity and the ethanol extract performed the best in all antioxidants during the analysis.