Drimia delagoensis has been utilized for its medicinal properties since antiquity. The bulb and leaves are predominantly composed of secondary metabolites that exhibit biological activity. The quantification of total phenolic and flavonoid content, as well as the assessment of antioxidant activity was conducted using the Folin-Ciocalteus method, coulometric analysis, DPPH and the FRAP assays. The ethyl acetate, aqueous, and hexane extracts of the bulb exhibited significantly high total phenolic contents (167.9000±0.3376 μg GAE/mg, 56.2500±0.0043 μg GAE/mg, and 26.4000±0.0198 μg GAE/mg, respectively) compared to the ethyl acetate (49.4400±0.1341 μg QE/mg), aqueous (9.5200±0.1274 μg QE/mg), and hexane leaf extracts (1.8091±0.0049 μg QE/mg). On the other hand, the ethyl acetate leaf extract exhibited the highest antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity. The ethyl acetate extract of D. delagoensis, was identified as a significant source of natural antioxidants, and its use in the management of diabetic foot ulcers linked with oxidative stress is supported.
Keywords: Drimia delagoensis; antioxidant activity; ferric reducing antioxidant power assay; free radicals; total phenolic content.
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