Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts from the Fruit, Leaf, and Branchlet of Cupressus arizonica Greene

Abstract

Potent antioxidant activities of solvent extracts (96% aqueous ethanol) from the fruit, leaf, and branchlet without adherent leaf of Cupressus arizonica were evaluated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and compared with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ascorbic acid (AA). Their chemical compositions were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Branchlet extracts (BE) were the most active as an antioxidant agent at 93.3% at the concentration of 0.493 mg/mL, which was higher than the value of vitamin C (63.3%) at the same concentration. The major components identified in the BE were communic acid (43.7%), followed by agatholic acid (20%), and ferruginol (10.4%). The extract from fruit had good antioxidant activity (90.3%) at a concentration of 0.015 mg/mL. The major compounds identified in the fruit extracts (FE) were communic acid (46.8%), spirohexane-5-carboxylic acid, 1,1,2,2-tetramethyl-, methyl ester (27.4%), and ferruginol (6%). Leaf extracts (LE) were more active as an antioxidant agent at 80.3%, which was higher than the value of BHT (75.7%) at the concentration of 0.015 mg/mL. The major components identified in the LE were hexadecanoic acid (45.1%), 1H,5H-pyrrolo[1',2':3,4]imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine, octahydro- (9%), bicyclo [3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-one, 4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)- (8.1%).