Antioxidant activities of alkaloid extracts of two Algerian species of Fumaria : Fumaria capreolata and Fumaria bastardii

The antioxidant activities of the alkaloid extracts of Fumaria capreolata (L.) and Fumaria bastardii (L.) were determined by measuring their reducing power, their ability to inhibit linoleic acid peroxidation, and 2,2-diphenyl-�-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities. Total quinolizidine alkaloid contents were found to be 426 mg/100 g ( F.capreolata) and 521 mg/100g ( F.bastardii) . Both plant extracts exhibited strong total antioxidant activity, however, extract of F.bastardii was more potent then F.capreolata . Concentrations of 100, 300, and 500µ g mL -1 showed 42, 55, 65 and 48.3, 60, and 67.8 % inhibition of lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, for F.capreolata and F.bastardii extracts, respectively. On the other hand, 500µg mL -1 of the standard antioxidant butylated hydroxyianisole (BHA), quercetine, and caffeine exhibited 80, 56.2, and 64.3% inhibition of lipid peroxidation, respectively. In addition, the both extracts had effective reducing power, DPPH free radical scavenging activity at 250 and 50 µg mL -1 . The isoquinoline alkaloids, stylopine, protopine, fumaritine, fumaricine, fumarophycine, fumariline, fumarofine were determined by GC-MS from the aerial parts of F. capreolata and F. bastardii.