Antioxidant activity of Tinospora crispa extracted with different ethanol solvents

Introduction: Tinospora crispa (T. crispa) is an herbaceous plant that commonly grows wild in tropical regions of South East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In Indonesia, this plant is well known to be used as a traditional medicine to treat gout, diabetes, hypertension, rheumatic, fever, and appetite stimulant. Researches worldwide indicate that T. crispa poses several pharmacological properties. One of those is the antioxidant activity, acting as a free radical scavenger. The objective of this study was to determine the antioxidative properties of T. crispa and to compare the different ethanol solvents used for extraction. Methods: The amount of 300 g T. crispa powder was extracted using 70%, 80%, and 96% ethanol. The spectrophotometry method is used to assess the total flavonoid and polyphenol contents as well athe s DPPH assay. Results: The 80% ethanol had the highest flavonoid content 0.090% ± [0.453%], while 96% ethanol indicated the lowest 0.038% ± [3.090%]. In the case of phenolic content, 96% ethanol showed the highest result 0.521 ± [11.341%]. However, this value was relatively comparable with the other solvents. The highest DPPH activity was shown by 80% ethanol 6.46 mg ± [3.04 mg]. Conclusion: Despite low in the concentration, flavonoid and polyphenol content was successfully determined from T. crispa by using different ethanol solvents. Based on the result of antioxidants concentration and activity, 80% ethanol is the most ideal solvent to be used for extraction of T. crispa.