ABSTRACT
Objective: The aim of this work was to characterize the antioxidant properties and to evaluate the total phenol content of leaves, bark, pericarp, and pulp extracts of Lebanese Annona squamosa Linn. (A. squamosa),, as well as a total screening of secondary metabolites present in the various plant parts studied. Methods: Two solvent systems were used for extraction: ethanol 80 % and methanol 80 %. The antioxidant activity of different extracts was investigated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The Total Phenol Content (TPC) of the different plant parts are determined and compared via Folin-Ciocalteu method. The results were presented as the mean of three separate experiments and error bars were used to illustrate standard deviation. Results: The phenolic content was found to be highest in the A. squamosa leaves methanolic and ethanolic extracts (117.2 mg and 112.92 gallic acid extract/g, respectively). The results showed that A. squamosa leaves methanolic and ethanolic extracts display the highest antioxidant activities than the bark, pulp and pericarp extracts, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values 13.61 and 15.97 μg. ml-1 respectively. Ethanol 80 % and methanol 80 % were found to be efficient for the extraction of phenolic compounds. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate the presence of promising compounds in Lebanese A. squamosa that are able to act as antioxidants and free radical scavengers.