Bioactivity-directed fractionation of antioxidant constituents from tinta-tintahan (Eclipta alba (l.) hassk) extract

Abstract

Tinta-tintahan (Eclipta alba) is a perennial herb of the Asteraceae family. It is a traditional medicinal plant used in many Asian countries, especially in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. The study aimed to determine if there are any active antioxidant components present in E. alba. The ethyl acetate crude extract was solvent partitioned with petroleum ether and the extract with the highest antioxidant activity was subjected to gel column chromatography. The radical scavenging activities of the obtained extracts and fractions were tested against 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. The results demonstrated that E. alba ethyl acetate extract and its fractions were inactive against DPPH radicals, suggesting that ethyl acetate is ineffective in extracting the bioactive components.