Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents, and Antioxidant Activity from the Root Extract of Cannabis sativa L

Abstract

This study investigates the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity of Cannabis sativa roots (Siskiyou Gold strain) extracted sequentially using solvents with increasing polarity: hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The methanol extract (SG-MET) provided the highest yield (9.53%) compared to other solvents. The results demonstrate that solvent polarity significantly influences the extraction efficiency of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Methanol, a highly polar solvent, extracted the highest total phenolic content (36.18 ± 1.01 mg GAE/g extract) and comparable total flavonoid content (36.79 ± 1.38 mg QE/g extract). Additionally, the methanol extract exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity (IC50 = 554.82 ± 5.52 μg/mL) among the three extracts, although it remained lower than the standard Trolox (IC50 = 5.96 ± 0.13 μg/mL). These findings highlight methanol's effectiveness in extracting polar bioactive compounds, particularly phenolics and flavonoids, from Cannabis sativa roots. The study suggests that the methanol extract has significant potential as a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties, which could be further explored for applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and related fields.