Comparative study of the aqueous and ethanolic extract of Momordica foetida on the phenolic content and antioxidant properties

The present study was designed to evaluate and compare the phenolic (total phenols and flavonoid) contents and antioxidant activity of aqueous extract of Momordica foetida (AEMF) and ethanolic extract of Momordica foetida (EEMF) extract of Momordica foetida leaves; a popular medicinal plant used for traditional medicine preparations. The antioxidant activity of both extracts was assessed using nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. The results revealed that EEMF had significantly (p 0.05) higher total phenol and total flavonoid contents than AEMF. In the same vein, EEMF also exhibited significantly (p 0.05) higher NO radical scavenging ability and ferric reducing antioxidant property than AEMF. The antioxidant properties of the vegetable revealed could be attributed to their phenolic contents. Moreover, EEMF showed better antioxidant activities when compared to AEFT.