Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activity of Nicotiana tabacum Extracts

Nicotiana tabacum (Solanaceae), also known as tobacco, is one of the most commercialized agricultural crops in the world. However, this plant is not commonly used either as a health treatment or in the discovery of drugs. This study aims to screen phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of N. tabacum leaf extract to find new biomarker compounds for health. The extracts (n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and acetone extracts) were evaluated for their phytochemical profiles both qualitatively and by the method of total phenol content, while the antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Gallic acid was used as the standard. The results showed that the extract contained alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, phenols, and saponins. The extract had DPPH scavenging activity with a value range of 20.92-30.87 %. Furthermore, dichloromethane extract had the highest DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Interestingly, the highest total phenolic content was also shown in the dichloromethane extract (98.09 g GAE/mg). This study shows that the leaf extract of N. tabacum has the potential as an antioxidant agent.