Evaluation of the antioxidant and phototoxic potentials of Bauhinia microstachya var. massambabensis Vaz leaf extracts

Four different leaf extracts of B. microstachya var. massambabensis were studied to evaluate their antioxidant capacity by using three in vitro methods, with Ginkgo biloba and Trolox® as the standards. With the DPPH and ABTS·+ methods, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was in the following order, from maximum to minimum: AcEt > WAc > raw EtOH > EtOH CA > EGb, while with the ORAC method, it was as follows: EtOH CA > raw EtOH > AcEt > WAc > EGb. Phototoxic analysis was performed in yeast cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. From the ethyl acetate extract, 2 flavonoids kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside and astragalin-2”,6”-O-digallate were isolated and identified by HPLC and 1H- and 13C-NMR; to our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of astragalin-2”,6”-O-digallate in the Bauhinia genus.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire