Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the bioactive components in an aqueous extract of Urtica dioica L leaves from eastern Algeria

Urtica dioica L is a spontaneous herb that is used in traditional medicine in Algeria. Numerous studies confirm the important pharmacological properties. Our study includes the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the bioactive components of Urtica dioica L. The objective of our study is to highlight the importance of this plant which could be used in herbal medicine to fight against certain types of cancer. The antioxidant activity is evaluated by the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) trapping method. The results obtained show us that the leaves of Urtica dioica L. have a high antioxidant activity with IC50 of 0.4 milligram / milliliter.