Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Assessing the antioxidant capacity of caulerpa peltata via phytochemical insights
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Research Articles | Published: 15 June, 2026
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Keywords: n Caulerpa peltatan , Antioxidant profiling, GCMS, Phytocompounds
Abstract
In pharmaceutical research, finding new, safe, and effective natural compounds remains a significant problem, especially for medicines with antioxidant potential and low toxicity. Caulerpa peltata is one of the marine algae that have drawn interest due to its varied chemical profile and potential medical uses. The phytochemical content, antioxidant activity of the hexane extract of Caulerpa peltata (CPHE) were assessed in this study. Flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, steroids, phytosterols, and saponins were found by phytochemical screening; quantitative analysis showed a high flavonoid content and a low tannin level. 29 compounds were found by GC–MS profiling. Antioxidant assays showed dose-dependent action; at 250 µg/ml, CPHE showed the greatest inhibition in the DPPH (76 ± 0.007%) and phosphomolybdenum (69 ± 0.001%) assays. In contrast to the conventional ascorbic acid hexane extract (73 ± 0.082%, p < 0.05), H2O2 scavenging activity was rather low (15 ± 0.005%). Together, our results show that CPHE's varied phytochemical composition and moderate antioxidant capability make it a promising option for pharmacological and biological uses. Its very low hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging capacity highlights a drawback, highlighting the necessity of additional mechanistic research, dosage modification, and preclinical animal validation to prove therapeutic applicability.
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Author Information
School of Life Sciences, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India