Phytochemical screening and antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl) A. Gray dry flowers

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant activity of extracts of dried flowers of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl) A. Gray (T. diversifolia) dry flower-a shrubby plant belonging to the Asteraceae family and very common in Brazil, providing data to help prevent premature aging skin. Methods: The tests of phytochemical screening included total phenols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins. The active antioxidant was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl method. Results: The phytochemical screening of T. diversifolia dry flowers revealed the presence o phenolic compounds (tannins, flavonoids and total phenols), while alkaloids and saponins were not detected. The IC50 values showed a strong antioxidant activity of the plant extracts. Conclusions: Therefore, this study suggests the possibility of using dry flowers extracts of T diversifolia for the prevention of cell aging, as was shown to have significant antioxidant activity.