RESUME

ANNY NILA SYAUQIYYAH

I14190049

Antioxidant capacity of local medicinal plants

Muhammad Khairi Zainol
Food Science Programme (FPSM)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)

- What is medicinal plant?

Medicinal plants are plants that have a recognized medical use. Their use ranges the
production of mainstream pharmaceutical products to herbal medicine preparations. Herbal
medicine is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment in human history and could be
considered one of the forerunners of the modern pharmaceutical trade. Herbs have been used for
ages not only to improve flavour of food but also to preserve food from spoiladge during storage,
to cure or reduce the risk of human diseases. Nowadays, there are an interesting amount of
studies reported the beneficial effects of herbs on food quality. There are used in food (meat,
bread, dairy priducts) directly in their native forms (whole or ground materials) or more often as
extracts. Herbs have been also known as health-promoting agents and their extracts have been
investigated as aternative treatments againts varous disorders

Such as : Gastric-intestinal and oral cavity disorders, cough and are widely used in
pharmacy products

Most of the beneficial properties of herbs are ascribed to their high antioxidant capacity
and one of the main group of compunds responsible for these properties are phenolics-secondary
plant metabolites.

Reactive Oxgen Species

Oxygen is highly reactive atom that is capable of becoming part of potentially damaging
molecule commonly called “free radical”. Free radicals are capable of attacking cells of the
body, causing the to lose their structure and function. Free radicals have been implicated in the
pathogenesis of at least 50 diseases. Free radical formation is controlled naturally by various
compunds known as antioxidants. It is when the ability of antioxidant is limited that this damage
can become cumulative and debilitating.

Various ROS and correcponding neutralizing antioxidants

Reactive Oxygen Species Neutralizing Antioxidants

Vitamin C, Glutathione, Flavonoids, Lipoic
Hydroxil-radical
acid
Superoxide radical Vitamin C, Glutathione, Flavonoids, SOD
Vitamin C, Glutathione, Flavonoids, Beta
Hydrogen peroxide
carotene, Vitamin E, Flavonoids, Lipoic acid
 Beta carotene, Vitamin E, Flavonoids,
Lipid peroxides
Glutathione peroxidase.

Intenal Source : mitochondria, phagocytes, Xanthine oxidase exersice, inflammation,

ischemia, and reperfusion.
Externa sources : cigarette smoke, radiatuon, u.v light, certain drugs, reagents and
industrial solvents pollution.

When choosing an antioxidant, keep the following paramaters in mind.

a. It should be capable of eliciting the desired redox reaction
b. It should be compatible both biologically and chemically,
c. It must be biologically inactive
d. Both the reduced and oxidised versions should be non-toxic
e. It should work even at low concentrations
f. It should provide prolonged stability to the formulation

Biological Role of Antioxidants

To counter the harmful effects of free radicals. Reduces cellular damage by destroying free
radicals. As a group, antioxidants can : promote eye health and prevent muscular degeneration,
cataracts, and other degenerative aye illnesses.