www.ijpcr.com Available online at International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research 2017; 9(4): 293-297 doi: 10.25258/ijpcr.v9i04.8536 ISSN- 0975 1556 Research Article *Author for Correspondence: mtmoradi65@gmail.com. Antioxidant Potential and Total Phenolic Compounds of Extracts and Fractions of Pistasia atlantica Somayeh Alidadi 1 , Mohammad-Taghi Moradi 2* , Majid Asadi-Samani 3 , Zahra Lorigooini 1 1 Medical Plants Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran 2 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran 3 Students Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran Available Online: 25 th April, 2017 ABSTRACT Different parts of Pistasia atlantica have been used in traditional medicine for various purposes in Iran. The aim of this study was to measurement and compare antioxidant activity and polyphenolic compounds of crude ethyl alcohol extract and four fractions of P. atlantica leaf. Crude ethyl alcohol extract of P. atlantica leaf was prepared using maceration method and subjected to fractionation with different polarity. The antioxidant potential of all these fractions was evaluated by the 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity method. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and flavonol components were measured with Folin-Ciocaltiue and Chlorid Aluminum methods. According to the radical scavenging capacity, the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 value 1.54±0.12 μg/ml, followed by the chloroform fraction with higher percent inhibition of the DPPH with 3.4±0.11 μg/ml. The results are represented relative to a reference standard, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), with IC50 value of 33.5±3.67μg/ml. Among these fractions, the ethyl acetate fraction and chloroform fraction had the highest amount of total phenolic compounds with value of 532.73 and 355.14 mg GAE/g, respectively. The results of this study showed that some fractions of P. atlantica leaf extract could be used as easily accessible source of natural antioxidants. Keywords: Antioxidant, Total phenolic, Medicinal plants, Pistacia atlantica. INTRODUCTION Free radicals or highly reactive oxygen species are capable of oxidizing bio-molecules and can initiate different degenerative diseases like cancer, neurological disorders, cirrhosis, emphysema, atherosclerosis, arthritis etc 1-7 . Antioxidants are the compounds which wind up the attack of free radicals and thus decrease the risk of these disorders 8,9 . Recent attention has been paid to directly evaluating the antioxidant properties of plant extracts as the source of natural antioxidants 10 . Many antioxidants have been found to be free radical or active oxygen scavengers and thus plants have been investigated for their biological activities and antioxidant properties 4-7,11 . Recent reports about antioxidant activity and polyphenol contents of herbals showed that polyphenols, i.e. flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic acids, have antioxidant properties. Species of Pistacia genus are important species in Western Asian areas including Syria, Jordan, Iran and Afghanistan 13 . Various types of compounds like terpenoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and sterols have been identified from different parts of Pistacia species 14 . According to previous researches, wide pharmacological activities had been showed from various parts of Pistacia species such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral and their effects in gastrointestinal disorders improvement. Pistacia atlantica (P. atlantica) belonging to the family Anacardiaceae is a species of flowering plants. Traditionally some indigenous peoples used the resin and fruits of P. atlantica for stomach aches, dyspepsia and throat infections 14 . Based to our knowledge until now any studies have been not reported on the antioxidant activity and phenolic of different fraction of P. atlantica leaves. The aims of this study was to measurement and compare the antioxidant potential and total phenolic compounds of crude ethyl alcohol extract and four correspond fractions of P. atlantica leaf. MATERIAL AND METHOD Plant collection and extraction P. atlantica leaves was gathered from southwest region of Iran. Then, in herbarium of Medical Plants Research Center of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (Iran), genus and species of the plant were identified and confirmed. The dried P. atlantica leaves were separately ground to obtain uniform powders. The leaf powder (100 g) was dissolved in 80% ethyl alcohol (400 ml) and kept at room temperature for 96 hours. Subsequently, the mixture was filtered and concentrated under nearly vacuum pressure and at 40 ° C using rotary evaporator. Fractionation of plant material Four fractions of the crude extract, with different polarity through in-solution isolation and using the difference in