Abstract:
Background: Camellia sinensis, commonly known as the tea plant, is a species of evergreen
shrub native to Asia. It is not only one of the most popular beverages consumed in Sri Lanka, but
it has also variously reported health benefits such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing,
antibacterial, antiviral, hypocholesterolemic, anticarcinogenic and chemopreventive properties.
Objectives: To determine phytochemicals in the aqueous extract of C. sinensis leaves (AECL)
qualitatively and quantitatively. Further, the study determined the antioxidant effect of AECL, as
supportive evidence for developing an anti-ageing cosmetic cream formula in future
Methods: The qualitative phytochemical screening was done following standard methods. The
flavonoids and total phenol contents were determined quantitatively by the Aluminium chloride
method and the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) method, respectively. Quercetin and Gallic acid were used as
reference compounds respectively in Aluminium chloride and FC method. The in vitro antioxidant
activity was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the radical scavenging
activity of the test sample was expressed as an IC50, which is defined as the mean concentration of
the antioxidants required to lower the initial DPPH concentration by 50%.
Results: The results showed that AECL is rich in various phytochemicals such as alkaloids,
flavonoids, tannins, and phenolics, with the absence of saponin. The total phenol content present
in AECL was 93.075±2.3 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g dried weight and the total flavonoids were
942±1 mg quercetin equivalent/g dried weight. The study showed that AECL has dose-dependent
antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 211.53 µg/mL. It was 14.44 µg/mL for Ascorbic acid
which was the positive standard.
Conclusions: The results showed the antioxidant properties of crude AECL. This antioxidant
activity may be due to the presence of phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins,
and phenolics. However, as the AECL contain phytochemicals which can create an antioxidant
activity, it is recommended to incorporate it for the developing cosmetic cream formula. However,
the antioxidant activity was less compared to the Ascorbic acid which was the positive control.
