Phytochemical Screening, Total Phenolic, Flavonoid, Flavonol, and Tannin Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts from Wild Herniaria hirsuta Growing in Morocco

Abstract

Herniaria hirsuta is a medicinal plant widely distributed in North Africa, Europe, and Asia. The plant is used in Moroccan traditional medicine for the treatment of a number of ailments. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity of extracts of Herniaria hirsuta aerial parts. Plant extracts were obtained through aqueous decoction (EXD), hexane extraction (FHE), and ethanol extraction (FET) using a Soxhlet apparatus. Phytochemical analyses including preliminary phytochemical screening, total phenolic, flavonoid, flavonol, and tannin contents were done according to standard procedures. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. EXD had the highest percentage yield (30.26 ± 1.89%), followed by FET (26.66 ± 1.65%) and FHE (14.5 ± 1.27%). EXD also had the highest polyphenol content (5.18 ± 0.54 mg GAE/g), followed by FET (4.03 ± 0.67 mg GAE/g) and FHE (3.24 ± 1.81 mg GAE/g). FHE exhibited the highest levels of flavonoids (14.35 ± 0.98 mg QE/g) and flavonols (8.35 ± 0.24 mg QE/g), while EXD showed lower flavonoid and flavonol contents (7.230.34 mg QE/g and 5.34±0.13 mg QE/g, respectively). Tannin content was highest in FHE (2.95±0.46 mg CE/g) and lowest in FET (0.28±0.14 mg CE/g). Among the extracts, EXD demonstrated superior antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 703.33±0.98 µg/mL, 29.09±0.87 µg/mL, and 814.34±1.14 µg/mL in the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of Herniaria hirsuta in preventing and treating diseases associated with oxidative stress.