Cytoprotective and antioxidant effects of ethanolic extract of red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and carrot (Daucus carota L.)

Red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and carrot (Daucus carota L.) have been known for their phenolic and flavonoid compounds with antioxidants properties. Antioxidant activities including β-carotene bleaching (BCB) and Cupric ion Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) and total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and cytoprotective effect of the red dragon fruit and carrot extracts have been investigated in this study. Various concentrations of red dragon fruit (25-150 µg/mL) and carrot (25-200 µg/mL) extracts were applied on fibroblast primary cell which has been previously treated with 1000 μM hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on the cytoprotective test. Results demontrated that carrot extract had higher antioxidant activity, TPC, and TFC than red dragon fruit extract. It was found that red dragon fruit extract at concentration of 150 µg/mL and carrot extract at concentration of 200 µg/mL were not able to protect cells from H₂O₂ exposure.