Detection and Determination of Phenolics Extract of Soursop Leaves (Annona Muricata L.) using Biochemical Assay Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L), Jakarta

Abstract

Anxiety is a mental condition that causes people to feel fearful, irritable, and agitated to the point of being unable to do basic tasks and it is estimated that 284 million individuals worldwide suffer from anxiety disorders. In some cases, this disorder can be cured by changes in lifestyle and psychotherapy. One of the medications that are provided to help patients manage the symptoms, is Benzodiazepine (BDZ). BDZ has been proven to have a calming effect by modulating gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAₐ) receptors activity in the brain. Despite BDZ being widely used, it has several drawbacks such as memory impairment and adverse effects in pregnant women. Hence, this experiment investigates the alternative substance that will yield the same effects but has reduced side effects. Studies have found a relation between oxidative stress and antioxidants. This finding indicates the possibilities of antioxidants supplements as treatment or prevention against anxiety and depression. Souza et al. also stated that nutrition imbalance plays a role in increasing the oxidative stress and anxiety in mice. With that in mind, this study is conducted to find a food-generated antioxidant compound and one of the most well-known antioxidants generated from food and are the most common type of antioxidant is polyphenols (Bouayed, 2010). In this experiment, Annona muricata L. was chosen to be the main source to obtain the phenolic crude extract. There are also studies that showed the soursop leaves have a potential use for anxiety since it contains the highest concentration of phenolic compounds (Gavamukulya et al., 2017). This study used qualitative and quantitative analysis to investigate the concentration and presence of phenolic extracts from Annona muricata leaves using colorimetric assay such as folin-ciocalteu reagent, ferric chloride and magnesium powder.