Antioxidant Activities and Phenolic Composition of Sarcococca saligna Leaves

Sarcococca saligna (D. DON) Muel is a vital plant with several steroidal alkaloids and is effective against syphilis, liver diseases, gastrointestinal tract disease, infections, and inflammation. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activities and phenolic profile of S. saligna. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis has shown the presence of twelve phenolics namely kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, proanthocyanidin B1, quercetin-3-malonyl-glucoside-7-glucoside, kaempferol-3-O-sophorotioside, Isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, kaempferolhexoside, 4-O-Caffeoyl-5-O-p-coumaroylquinic acid, 3,4-Di-O-caffeoyl-5-O-feruloylquinic acid, 3,4-Di-O-feruloyl-5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, flavogalloyl-HHDP-gluconic acid (lagerstannin B), 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol-3-(caffeoyldiglucoside)-7-glucoside. The hot water extract showed the highest anti-lipid peroxidative activities. The IC₅₀ value for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was 71.5 ± 2.1 µg/mL. The extract could chelate the iron and possess reducing activities on phosphomolybenum assay. It is concluded that extracts of S. saligna are rich in antioxidants and contain essential phytochemicals.