A study of major flavonoid compounds and analysis of total phenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in the leaves, stems, roots, and flowers of Sesbania grandiflora

Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and the antioxidant activity of the methanolic extracts of the leaves, stems, roots and flowers of Sesbania grandiflora were evaluated. The presence of different classes of flavonoids was also analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Phenolic compounds and flavonoids are of great importance due to their natural health promoting effects to the human body. The different vegetative and reproductive extracts of the plant did not exhibit extremely high levels of phenolic or flavonoid content with the leaves containing the maximum amounts. The flavonoid aglycone quercetin was found in all the organs whereas kaempferol was exclusively detected in the leaves. All the organs showed antioxidant activity with the flowers being the most potent despite having lower phenolic content and flavonoids compared to the leaves. The study did not find any correlation between phenolic content, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity. The findings indicate that other classes of bioactive compounds present in the extracts may be playing a role in the antioxidant potential of the extracts. The results also point out to the fact that reproductive tissues may follow different trends in terms of phytochemicals synthesized and bioactivities.