ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF METHANOL EXTRACTS FROM THE STEM BARK OF MANGROVE PLANT Rhizophora mucronata

Abstract

Numbers of diseases such as stroke, diabetes, gout,
and even cancer are caused by the reaction of free
radicals (oxidants) found in the body. Those diseases
currently have not yet controlled. Deleterious
lifestyle, lack of exercise, or genetics can be the
trigger to this oxidant. Based on Chemotaxonomic,
drugs that have been used to inhibit the oxidation
process or termination stage of free radicals contain
the active ingredient in the form of secondary
metabolites of alkaloids, phenolics, terpenoids and
steroids. For example, phenolic compounds such as
flavonoids, xanthones, antioxidants and polyphenols
is a good agent because it has a structure with a high
degree of oxidation (Suares, et al, 2010).
Researches related to the exploration of antioxidant
active ingredient has been more focused on
secondary metabolites found in terrestrial plants.
The development of natural compounds potential of
marine plant material such as mangrove are still not
received much attention. Spalding et al. in 2001
explained that mangroves plant in Indonesia is the
highest in the world, both in terms of quantity area
(± 42 550 km2) as well as the number of species (±
45 species). This basic natural resource of Indonesia
mangrove is certainly valuable promising
opportunities to be expanded as a biological drug.
Mangroves plant that commonly used as medicine
discovered from various species i.e: Acanthus
ilicifolius, Avicennia alba, Avicennia marina,
Avicennia offinalis, Bruguiera cylindrical, Bruguiera
exaristata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Ceriops tagal,
Hisbiscus tiliaceus, Ipomoea pes-capre, Lumnitzera
racemosa, Nypa fructicans, Pluchea indica
Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata and
Sonneratia alba. Those plants are usually utilized as
antiasma, antidiuretic, antidiabetic, reliever itching,
and others. (Purnobasuki, 2004).
The potential of mangroves as a drug is very
important to be developed considering the need for
drugs is increasing deals with the growing of
population and many kinds of diseases such as
cancer, hypertension, tumor diseases and diseases
caused by chemical or biological waste pollution
from viruses and bacteria. People are more likely to
choose drugs that are natural because relatively take
few side effects or even none at all.
Several studies of mangrove plants from genus
Rhizophora that have antioxidant bioactivity are
shown in the crude butanol extract of mangrove R.
apiculata with IC50 33.34 pg / mL (Gao, 2012). The
methanol extract of R. mangle’s stem were also
documented to have antioxidant activity (Palacio, et
al, 2014).
One of mangroves found in Surabaya East Coastal
(Pamurbaya), East Java, Indonesia is the mangrove
Rhizophora mucronata. This mangrove species is
indigenous mangroves that ethno-botanically
popular used as a pain reliever and dyes natural
wood. Secondary metabolites contained in the
leaves, bark, stems, roots, and fruit are different in
quantity. The content of secondary metabolites in
plant commonly used as a medicine is from general
part of the bark. Therefore, on the basis of
chemotaxonomic and ethno-botany of mangroves R.
mucronata, this study aims to explore the bioactivity
of antioxidant from the stem bark of R. mucronata.