Abstract

Antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities as well as luteolin contents were analysed in extracts of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat (CM), which is a traditional medicinal plant and an important oriental herbal medicine for the treatment of eye diseases in China and Japan. In this study, the results show that the maximum solvent extract yield (35.5%) and luteolin concentration (1.34 μg/ml) were achieved in methanol extract. In addition, 60% methanol extracts of CM exhibited high scavenging activities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as well as significant reducing power. They also possessed a potent α-glucosidase inhibitoryactivity. Furthermore, the total phenolic content was 0.37 mg GAE/g. The total phenolic content of 60% methanol extract may have been the cause of its strong antioxidant ability. These results provide scientific support that the food industry could benefit from using extract containing this constituent.

Key words: Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat, antioxidant, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power, phenolic, α-glucosidase