Antigout Potential of Selected Malaysian Traditional Vegetables/Ulam

Abstract

The discovery of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products as an alternative approach is highly needed for the purpose of disease treatment, specifically in gout remedy. This study was conducted to investigate the antigout potential of five selected Malaysian traditional vegetables/ulam, namely Gynura bicolor, Barringtonia racemosa, Centella asiatica, Manihot esculenta and Lasia spinosa. n-Hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the selected traditional vegetables/ulam were analyzed for their xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity and phytochemical contents. The highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were observed in methanol extracts of L. spinosa and M. esculenta with the values of 1.68 ± 0.05 mg GAE/g and 1.26 ± 0.05 mg RE/g, respectively whereas methanol extract of G. bicolor showed the highest total anthocyanin content. G. bicolor extracted in three sequential solvents were found to possess the strongest xanthine oxidase inhibition with the lowest IC50 values. Therefore, the presence of phytochemical compounds in G. bicolor extracts might contribute to its antigout activity, suggesting this plant as antigout agent.