Antioxidant Properties of Common Edible Plants in Preventing Age-Related Diseases
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Background: Oxidative stress contributes to biological processes associated with ageing, while edible plants provide phenolic compounds and other constituents with in-vitro antioxidant activity. Objective: To compare the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of ten commonly consumed edible plants obtained from Lahore and determine their relationships across complementary antioxidant assays. Methods: This analytical laboratory study evaluated 30 independently sourced samples representing ten edible plants. Methanolic extracts were assessed for total phenolic content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) activity, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Plant groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post-hoc test. Pearson correlations were calculated from ten plant-level mean values. Results: Amla had the highest total phenolic content (82.45 ± 2.14 mg GAE/g), DPPH inhibition (88.60 ± 1.90%), ABTS activity (91.35 ± 2.20 µmol TE/g), and FRAP value (76.40 ± 1.85 µmol Fe²⁺/g), followed by pomegranate. Tomato had the lowest values across all measurements. Differences among plants were significant for every outcome (all p<0.001). Total phenolic content was strongly correlated with DPPH (r=0.995), ABTS (r=0.995), and FRAP activity (r=0.998; all p<0.001). Conclusion: The selected edible plants differed substantially in in-vitro antioxidant capacity, with amla and pomegranate showing the highest values. These laboratory findings identify locally available sources of antioxidant compounds but do not establish bioavailability or prevention of age-related disease
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