Antioxidant Activity of Phenolic Rich Fraction Obtained from Convolvulus arvensis L. Leaves Grown in Egypt

Acidic ethyl acetate fraction was prepared from the leaves of Convolvulus arvensis L. contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids, antioxidant activity and reducing power were evaluated in this fraction. Total phenolics and total flavonoids were measured as 244.62.9 and 174.40.4 mg gallic acid and rutin equivalents per gram extract, respectively. The fraction exhibited strong antioxidant activity measured by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method and its IC50 value was 66.90.1 g mL-1. Further it possessed strong reducing power and inhibited the oxidation of -carotene. GC-MS and HPLC analyses indicated that, this fraction contained a variety of phenolic compounds including p-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, vanillin, benzoic acid and ferulic acid. This study revealed that acidic ethyl acetate fraction of C. arvensis L. leaves has strong antioxidant activity which is correlated with its high content of phenolic compounds and it may serve as a phenolic rich fraction in food industry.