DETERMINATION OF POLYPHENOL CONTENT AND EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN EXTRACTS FROM THE CHRYSOPOGON NIGRITANUS PLANT

Chrysopogon nigritanus is a plant traditionally used for various purposes, particularly in traditional medicine due to its various properties of pharmaceutical and cosmetic properties. From a scientific point of view, this plant has not been widely studied, particularly in the field of pharmacology. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity of C. nigritanus roots using the DPPH and FRAP methods as well as to determine its polyphenolic compound content, which is directly related to this activity. Four extracts obtained by successive maceration according to a polarity gradient (cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water) were studied. The results of the DPPH assay revealed significant antioxidant activity for all extracts, with respective IC50 values of 2.445; 0.555; 0.052 and 0.115 mg/mL, compared to 0.002 mg/mL for ascorbic acid used as a reference. The FRAP assay showed an increase in reducing power proportional to the concentration of the extracts, thus confirming the results obtained with the DPPH assay. These results suggest that C. nigritanus roots are a potential source of natural antioxidant compounds.