In the present work, heat reflux extraction with ethanol/water (80:20; v/v) as the solvent was
used to extract antioxidants fromMyrmecodia 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± 1.573mg/g dry sample and 3.236±0.280mg/g dry sample, respectively. All
these three compounds are reported for the first time in sarang semut.
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