Fozia Anjum, Shazia Anwer Bukhari, Muhammad Shahid, Shakeel Anwar, Muhammad Afzal and Naheed Akhter
Extracts of Cuscuta stem collected over different hosts were prepared by stimulated effect of ultrasonic waves using different solvents like 100% methanol, 80% methanol, 100% ethanol, 80% ethanol, water and n-hexane. Maximum extract yield (g/100 g of DW) was detected by using 80% methanol solvent (11.72-26.14) followed by water (10.52-22.95), 80% ethanol (10.19-22.63), methanol (8.91-22.61), ethanol (5.92-15.12), and n-hexane (3.82-8.72). Maximum level of TPC (71.11), TFC (85.11), reducing power (2.56), DPPH scavenging activity (59.57), percent inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation (87.49) and δ-tocopherol (100 μg of δ -Toc/g of FW) was found significantly higher (P < 0.05) in stem collected from Z. jojoba whereas α-(21 μg of δ -Toc/g of FW) and ϒ-tocopherol (96 μg of δ -Toc/g of FW) contents were found higher (P < 0.05) in E. jambulana and C. latifolia. A strong correlation between total phenolics (R2=0.916) or reducing power (R2=0.561) and antioxidant activity was found in methanolic extract whereas flavonoids exhibited weak correlation with antioxidant activity.