Fatty Acids Analysis and Antioxidant Activity of a Lipid Extract obtained from Mercurialis annua L. grown wildly in Jordan

Aerial parts of Mercurialis annua L. were used in the present study, and fatty acid content in lipid extract was determined using GC-FID. The major fatty acids identified were α–linolenic acid (20.3%), heptadecanoic acid (12.8%), palmitic acid (11.9%), pentadecanoic acid (11.7%), cis-10-pentadecenoic acid (11.2%), linoleic acid (7.7%), tridecanoic Acid (4.6%), stearic (4.4%), cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acid (3.8%), beside of minor fatty acids (palmitoleic acid, cis-13,16-docosadienoic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, cis-10-heptadecenoic acid and myristic acid). Antioxidant properties of the extract were determined via DPPH radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching assay and NO radical scavenging assay. The extract produced significant antioxidant activity in-vitro. The data shown here may broaden our knowledge on composition and antioxidant activity of lipid constituents from Mercurialis annua L.