ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF FLAVONOID RICH FRACTION OF (VERNONIA AMYGDALINA DELILE.) LEAVES

Objective: Atoms that are unstable and harmful to other molecules are referred to as free radicals. Flavonoid molecules have the ability to act as antioxidants, which can help avoid oxidative stress brought on by the high levels of free radicals that are found in the body. Antioxidants are chemicals that bind to free radicals and neutralize oxidized substances by giving electrons. The main objective of this comprehensive investigation was to assess and quantify the extent of antioxidant activity manifested by fractions abundant in flavonoids extracted from Vernonia amygdalina Del. Methods: Refluxing n-hexane solvent and then continuing with methanol were the steps that taken in the process of extracting Vernonia amygdalina. The methanol extract was subjected to fractionation utilizing the liquid-liquid fractionation method, employing a series of solvents to isolate distinct fractions with varying chemical compositions. After determining the overall flavonoid content of each extract and fraction, an evaluation was conducted on the antioxidant activity of the samples containing the maximum flavonoid content. Results: The dichlormethane fraction had the highest flavonoid content with 69.56±0.22 mg/g QE. Then the DCM fraction was tested for antioxidant activity, and the results obtained for the DPPH method were 117.33±0.56 and the CUPRAC method was was 84.80±0.73. Conclusion: The results showed that DCM fraction is the highest flavonoid fraction and exhibits potent antioxidant properties.