Revista de Bioanálise e Biomedicina

Evaluation of Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities of Ceiba pentandra (Kapok) Seed Oil

Abstract

Ch. Ravi Kiran, Y. Madhavi and T. Raghava Rao

Background: Ceiba pentandra seeds belonging to order Malvalea and the family Malvaceae, commonly known Kapok were evaluated for their phytochemical ingredients and antioxidant activity.

Materials and methods: Soxhlet extraction method was used for the extraction of oil, phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of Ceiba pentandra seed oil was estimated by well-known methods.

Results: The seed oil was extracted using soxhlet extraction method with analytical grade hexane as refluxing solvent. The oil was thick yellowish in colour having pungent odour with a yield of 40%. Phytochemical constituents and non enzymatic antioxidants showed enhancement in increasing concentration from 25 mg/mL to 100 mg/mL. At 100 mg/mL recorded phytochemical components phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins were 305 μg gallic acid equivalents g^-1, 3207 μg quercetin equivalents g^-1, 0.34 μg boldine equivalents g^-1 and 2041 μg tannic acid equivalents g^-1 respectively. The seed oil exhibited striking Diphenyl picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging Assay (DPPH), Ferric reducing or Antioxidant power assay (FRAP), reducing power assay and Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The measured DPPH activity at 100 mg/mL was 47.56% of inhibition per 50 μL of oil as compared to 45 and 76% of inhibition per 1 mg/mL of Rutin and BHT as positive controls. Observed FRAP ability of Ceiba pentandra seed oil was 309 FRAP units at 100 mg/mL concentration, reducing activity of Ceiba pentandra seed oil was observed at 100 mg/ mL as 20.52 μg of ascorbic acid equivalents per mL of oil. Hydroxy radical scavenging activity of Ceiba pentandra seed oil observed as 39.69% inhibition/0.1 of oil at 100 mg/mL, as compared to positive controls, Ascorbic acid and BHT at 1 mg/mL with percentage of inhibition 75 and 75.6 respectively.

Conclusion: The importance of the phytochemical constituents and non-enzymatic activities of Ceiba pentandra seed oil in the maintenance of health is strengthened as trend of the future is moving towards using seed oil as medicine in the management of various chronic diseases.