Calligonum polygonoides, a rich source of natural antioxidant compounds: First Report

In  the  present  investigation,  different  tissues  such  as  flower  bud,  foliage,  barks,  and  roots  of  Calligonum polygonoides (commonly known as phog) were analyzed for natural antioxidants such as total phenolics, flavinoid and in vitro total antioxidant activity and compared with clove (Syzygium aromaticum), a high phenolic containing plant. It was also investigated to determine their correlation with the antioxidant activity of the extracts. All plant tissues are highly rich in natural antioxidant compounds and values were almost similar or higher than clove with some context  i.e. bark tissue. Total phenolic contents in different tissues varied from 13437 (flower bud) to 34284 mg GAE/100g DW (Bark) while clove posses 25747 mg GAE/100g. The flavonoid content ranged from 2059 to 5350 mg Ct.E/100g of all plant tissues was also higher than clove (1352 mg Ct.E/100g). As all these parameters are highly correlated to each other with correlation coefficient value of >0.9, thus almost similar pattern for in vitro antioxidant activities was observed. These results on phenolics and flavonoid contents were compared with  two international phenolic databases i) Phenol-Explorer database and ii) USDA Database for the flavonoid content of selected foods. Nonetheless, none of the database reported the  'phog'  as one  of  the  richest  source  of  natural  antioxidant  compound  including  phenolics,  flavonoids  and  in vitro antioxidant activity, till date. Therefore, we are proposing first report on natural antioxidant content of C. polygonoides. As per phenol-explorer database, clove ranked 1 with 11320 to 24390 mg GAE/100g total phenolic content however, phog bark possesed higher total phenolics than clove i.e. 34284 mg GAE/100g while phog root, foliage and flower buds with 25607, 15197 and 13447 mg GAE/100g posses little lesser total phenolics than  clove  but higher than any other reported plants. As the  phog flower bud  is edible part,  the  natural antioxidant production potential of this plant  may create wonder in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry.