Abstract
Many antioxidants in the plant kingdom occur as polyphenolic compounds. Each compound can act through multiple antioxidant mechanisms; therefore, the mixture of compounds in an extract may confer a characteristic antioxidant activity profile. In this work, the antioxidant activity of 15 hydroalcoholic extracts from plants collected in Nuevo León was evaluated by quantifying total phenols and flavonoids, measuring DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities, and assessing inhibition of xanthine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase. The results showed significant differences among species (p < 0.05) and indicated a correlation between phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity, but not with enzyme inhibition. Correlation analysis and hierarchical clustering confirmed the distinction between antioxidant and enzymatic mechanisms and suggested the involvement of specific metabolites. Vachellia rigidula exhibited the most complete bioactive profile and showed outstanding results in several of the evaluated assays, whereas Senegalia greggii, Quercus canbyi, and Q. virginiana displayed high activity in multiple tests. Overall, the results suggest that each species possesses a characteristic antioxidant profile, which may be considered a distinctive property and highlights its potential as a source of bioactive compounds.
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