Study of the Effectiveness of Nano Pumpkin Peel Extract as an Antioxidant

Abstract

Abstract The current study aimed to prepare a nano-extract from pumpkin peels and study its antioxidant effectiveness. The methanolic extract of pumpkin peels loaded with nanoparticles was prepared using the ionic gel method, and was characterized using techniques represented by an ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometer and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), in addition to To X-ray scattering (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The results of the diagnosis of nanoparticles by scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the nanoparticles are spherical in shape and are of a nanometer size. The size of the particles of the Cu/Cs-NPs nanocomposite ranges in diameter from (53.04-78.05) nanometers and has a relatively homogeneous morphology. Five of the compounds were also identified. Phenolics (Galic acid, Apigenin, kaempferol, Quercetin, Rutin) by matching them with the detention time of standard compounds. The methanolic extract of pumpkin peels gave the highest value of total phenolic content, reaching 84.16 mg/g at a concentration of 50 mg/ml, while the content of total phenols in the Cu/Cs-NPs nanocomposite decreased, compared to the methanolic extract, where the highest value of total phenolics reached 12.21. mg/g at a concentration of 30 mg/ml. In addition, the results of the antioxidant activity in removing free radicals showed that the Cu/Cs-NPs nanocomposite was excelled by average of 59.34% at a concentration of 3 mg/ml over the methanolic extract by average of 92.68% at a concentration of 50 mg/ml.