Antioxidative and Biological Activities of Santalum album Extracts by Extracting Methods

Santalum album has been used as a folk medicine for treatment of skin diseases, inflammation, gonorrhea, gleet, and cystitis in India and other Asian countries. In a search for possible bioactive agents from natural sources, we found that the various solvent extracts of S. album showed significant antioxidative effect in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity test and moderate other biological functions submitted to the several bioassay systems for whitening and cytotoxicity evaluations. Among the tested extracts displayed DPPH radical scavenging activity, and the 70% acetone extract showed the most potent activity with an value of , more potent than a positive control, L-ascorbic acid (, ). Also, anti-lipid peroxidation, tyrosinase inhibitory, and cytotoxic effects were determined in each experiment. Total phenolic content of 70% acetone extract was found to be 117.1 mg equivalent of gallic acid per g of extract. Previous phytochemical investigation reveals the presence of phenolic compounds. The results indicate that S. album possess potential antioxidant activity and phenolic constituents are responsible for this capacity.