Abstract:
Helichrysum is a well-known species in the Astéracées family. It contains many species, including Helichrysum arenarium L, which is used in traditional medicine because of its active compounds. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Helichrysum arenarium L, the results showed that the total polyphenolic content of the ethanolic extract was 224.39±7.71 μg GAE/mg extract and flavonoids was 28.4±2.343 μg QE/mg extract. The total polyphenolic content of the aqueous extract was 211.81±20.43 μg GAE/mg extract and flavonoids were 26.64±0.36 μg QE/mg extract. The antioxidant activity was determined in vitro using two methodes: DPPH free radical scavenging and ß-Caroténe linoleic acid. In the DPPH assay, ethanolic extract showed the highest scavenging capacity (IC₅₀ = 0.036 ± 0.000 mg/ml), followed by aqueous extract with IC₅₀ of 0.065± 0.000 mg/ml. While the ß-Caroténe /linoleic acid test showed that the aqueous extract had a greater activity compared to the ethanolic extract (85.584 ± 13.48℅, 67.049 ± 8.37℅, respectively).

Keywords: Helichrysum arenarium, Antioxidant Activity, Polyphenols, DPPH Scavenging, β-carotene.