Analysis of major antioxidants from extracts of Myrmecodia pendans by UV/visible spectrophotometer, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography/UV techniques.

In the present work, heat reflux extraction with ethanol/water (80:20; v/v) as the solvent was used to extract antioxidants from Myrmecodia pendans. The crude extract (CE) was fractionated using hexane and ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and aqueous fraction were collected. Antioxidant activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-radical radical and ferric reducing power of the CE, EAF, and aqueous fraction were evaluated. EAF showed comparable antioxidant activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-radical radical and ferric reducing power to those of the CE. UV/visible, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography were employed for identifying the major antioxidant compounds in the EAF. Three major phenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid, procyanidin B1, and polymer of procyanidin B1) were identified. The first two compounds were confirmed and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography using authentic standards, but confirmation of the third compound was hampered by a lack of commercial standard. Concentrations of rosmarinic acid and procyanidin B1 in the EAF were found to be 20.688 ± 1.573 mg/g dry sample and 3.236 ± 0.280 mg/g dry sample, respectively. All these three compounds are reported for the first time in sarang semut.