Abstract:
This study was aimed to extract and evaluate antioxidant capacity of Bombax ceiba Linn. flowers extract. Extraction method was performed by using maceration for 8 h with hexane, ethyl acetate, 95% ethanol and DI water as solvents. The aqueous petals extract provided the highest extraction yield of 8.31 ± 0.49 % w/w, while the ethyl acetate stamens extract gave the lowest value at 0.56 ± 0.35 % w/w. The ethanol stamens extract showed the greatest phenolic content and flavonoid content of 76.56 ± 2.29 mg GAE/g and 359.84 ± 1.30 mg QE/g, respectively, while the hexane petals extract was found the lowest value of 4.94 ± 0.46 mg GAE/g and 1.69 ± 0.65 mg QE/g respectively. The ethanol stamens extract also possessed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 8.79 ± 0.00 g/ml, while the hexane extract of petals possessed the lowest value of 3,330.98 ± 0.03 g/ml. However, all extracts showed the lower antioxidant capacity than that of Trolox which exhibited the IC50 of 3.31 ± 0.00 µg/ml. The ethanol stamens extract exhibited the highest reducing capacity (FRAP assay) of 138.40 ± 2.42 mg TEAC/g, while the hexane petals extract possessed the lowest value of 0.85 ± 0.01 mg TEAC/g. This study insisted that ethanol extract showed the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents and also antioxidant activity for using to antioxidant cosmetics.