Antioxidant activity of methanol extracts obtained from Plantago species

Antioxidative activities of methanol extracts from five Plantago species (P. afra, P. coronopus, P. lagopus, P. lanceolata, and P. serraria) were characterized by the DPPH scavenging test and the inhibition of Fe2+/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation on bovine brain liposomes. All extracts showed antioxidant activity in both methods. Whereas P. serraria exhibited the strongest activity as a DPPH scavenger, P. lanceolata and P. serraria were found to be the most active in the lipid peroxidation inhibition assay. The extracts were investigated regarding their composition by different colorimetric techniques, such as the content of total phenolic compounds by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay, flavonoids by AlCl3 reagent, phenylpropanoid glycosides (PPGs) by Arnow reagent, and iridoids by Trim-Hill assay. A high correlation was found between the scavenging potency and the total phenolic and phenylpropanoid content of the extracts but not between the lipid peroxidation potency and the extract composition. P. serraria is presented as a possible new source of natural antioxidants.