Faleiro JH, Gonçalves RC, Faleiro Naves PL, Guimarães dos Santos MN, Costa Celestino SM and Malafaia G
Araçás species have been used in traditional medicine for possessing several pharmacological properties such as antiseptic, digestive, anti-hemorrhagic, controlling blood pressure and diuretic. This study aimed to make a pharmacognostic characterization to establish control parameters of the plant drug quality (leaf), the determination of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin C and β-carotene, and to evaluate the powder antioxidant capacity of Psidium cattleianum leaf. From powder of P. cattleianum leaves, pharmacognostic analyzes were performed and quantification assays of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity by DPPH capture using spectrophotometric methods. In the pharmacognostic characterization were determined the density (0.366 g. ml-1 ± 0.015), the ash content (17.52% ± 1.002), moisture (9.32% ± 1,006) and the pH (5.4 ± 0.047). The quantification assays of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin C, carotenoids and showed that the plant drug presents significant amounts of these bioactive compounds. The antioxidant activity analysis indicates that the leaf of this plant species has potentially active compounds in combating free radicals. The findings open perspectives for the realization of other biological assays for evidence of possible biological activities presented by the plant species in question.