Comparative evaluation of methanol and water extracts: Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of ten papuan medicinal plants

The use of Papuan medicinal plants as traditional medicine is widespread, but comprehensive and systematic research on their antioxidant activity and phenolic content remains limited. This study aimed to compare the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC) of 10 medicinal plant species traditionally used in Manokwari, Indonesia. Antioxidant activity was determined using the Ferric Thiocyanate (FTC) method, whereas TPC was quantified using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay in both aqueous and methanolic extracts. Multivariate analysis for the plants' phenolic content or antioxidant activity clustering was performed using principal component analysis (PCA). The methanolic extract of Myrmecodia jack exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (97.30%), while the aqueous extract of Persea americana showed a comparable potency (96.29%). The highest TPC was recorded in Areca catechu L. Statistical analysis revealed that the phenolic content accounted for 83.2% of the antioxidant activity in methanolic extracts and 59.6% in aqueous extracts. The TPC was markedly higher in the methanolic extracts. PCA classified samples into three distinct clusters: high phenolic, high antioxidant, and mixed profiles. These findings highlight the critical role of solvent polarity in bioactive compound recovery and the promising antioxidant potential of Papuan medicinal plants for natural product development.