Effect of polar and nonpolar solvent on total phenolic and antioxidant activity of roots extracts of Caralluma europaea

Caralluma europaea have been used recently as a remedy in Morocco folk medicine, health foods and in numerous other purposes. In the present study, the antioxidant activity of C. Europaea roots extracts from morocco cultivar Zouiatcheikh harvested, using solvents of increasing polarity (hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol and methanol) was evaluated using DPPH radical-scavenging assay. The total ascorbic acid, pigment and anthocyanins as well as total phenolics and flavonoids from roots of C. Europaea cultivar were also evaluated. The extracts were found to have different levels in antioxidant proprieties in the test solvent used. The efficiency of the solvents used to extract phenolic compounds from the C. Europaea roots varied considerably. Total polyphenol contents were significantly higher in methanol extract than chloroform and ethanol fractions (p<0.05). Ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts in roots was found to be rich in flavonoids (834.7 and 844.2 CEQ/100g DW, respectively). No relationship was observed in the potential antioxidant activity and total phenolic levels of the extracts mean that further investigation on the antioxidant activity of C. Europaea roots was needed.