Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Anti-Arthritis Potential of Decoction Extract from Caulerpa lentillifera

Caulerpa lentillifera also known as sea grape, is a green seaweed in the Caulerpaceae family known for its nutritional benefits and medicinal properties. This study aimed to examine the phytochemical compounds, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant and anti-arthritis properties of sea grape decoction extract. The total phenolic content was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and the total flavonoid content was determined with the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. Antioxidant activities were evaluated using two methods: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azinobis-(3- ethylbenzothia-zoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS). The anti-arthritis activities were assessed using bovine-serum protein. The study identified that the extract contained flavonoids, saponin, terpenoids and coumarins, with the total phenolic content of 343.19 ± 9.86 μg gallic acid equivalents/ mg dry extract and the total flavonoid content of 268.48 ± 16.57 μg quercetin equivalents/ mg dry extract. The extract showed antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ value of 309.05±5.91 μg/ml using the DPPH method and 572.33±3.47 μg/ml using the ABTS method, respectively. Additionally, it exhibited anti-arthritis properties with an IC₅₀ value of 54.60±12.71 μg/ml, which was less than 1.69 times the IC₅₀ value of diclofenac sodium. A strong positive correlation was found between the antioxidant and anti-arthritis activities measured by the ABTS method, with an R² value of 0.9476. Therefore, this study provides initial evidence supporting the antioxidant and anti-arthritis activities of sea grape decoction extract. The extract shows potential for further development as a product for treating arthritis.