ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY, TOTAL PHENOL AND ENZYMATIC INHIBITION POTENTIAL OF AMAZONIAN PLANTS: BANK OF EXTRACTS FOR FUTURE APPLICATIONS

Vargas-Arana G.; Merino-Zegarra C.; Pérez-Peña P.; Zárate-Gómez R.; Mario J.S. · Folia Amazonica (2025) · DOI: 10.24841/fa.v34i2.865

Resumen

The Peruvian Amazon, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, is home to numerous plant species whose functional potential has yet to be fully studied. In the present study, the total phenol content was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, the antioxidant capacity by the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, and the inhibitory potential against α-glucosidase and α-amylase, enzymes related to diabetes, of 428 hydroalcoholic extracts prepared from leaves and bark of 214 species of Amazonian plants, in order to identify promising species for pharmacological use. The extracts showed wide variations in phenolic content (18.47–507.53 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity, DPPH (3.93–90.63%), ABTS (2.10–91.51%), FRAP value (0.01–1.61%), and good enzyme inhibition at low concentrations, with higher values than the reference standard. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified 28 extracts from 25 plant species with high antioxidant potential and significant overall enzyme inhibition. Of this group, the species Eugenia patrisii and Spondias mombin were the most notable. These results provide scientific evidence for their potential application in the development of products with antidiabetic and antioxidant properties, contributing to the sustainable use of Amazonian biodiversity.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana