Background: Suruhan herb (Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth) had great potential as a natural antioxidant source due to its secondary metabolite content. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of solvent polarity (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and distilled water) on the secondary metabolite profiles and antioxidant activity of suruhan herb extracts using the DPPH method. Method: Samples were extracted via maceration at a 1:10 ratio. Ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts were concentrated using a rotary evaporator, while the distilled water extract was dried using a freeze dryer. Results: Phytochemical screening showed that all extracts contained alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenols. N-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts contained steroids/terpenoids and essential oils, while the distilled water extract contained saponins. One-way ANOVA showed highly significant differences in antioxidant activity. All extracts were categorized as very strong, with the lowest IC50 produced by ethyl acetate (29.37 µg/mL), followed by n-hexane (30.60 µg/mL) and distilled water (30.91 µg/mL). For comparison, Vitamin C had an IC50 of 4.08 µg/mL. Conclusion: Solvent polarity directly influenced the secondary metabolite profiles and antioxidant activity of the extracts. All variations exhibited very strong antioxidant activity (IC50 < 50 µg/mL), with statistically significant differences among the groups and the positive control. Each solvent yielded a significantly different antioxidant potency, ranking: ethyl acetate, n-hexane, and distilled water. Statistical analysis confirmed that ethyl acetate was the most effective solvent for extracting antioxidant compounds.
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