Oxidative stress resulting from the accumulation of free radicals is one of the primary drivers of degenerative diseases. This narrative review aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy of n-hexane and ethyl acetate solvents in partitioning antioxidant compounds from various plant species based on their Inhibition Concentration 50% (IC50) values determined by the in vitro DPPH assay. Descriptive statistical analysis of 15 included articles revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited significantly superior free radical scavenging potential compared to the n-hexane fraction. The ethyl acetate fraction achieved an overall mean IC50 of 114.25 ug/mL (moderate category), whereas the n-hexane fraction showed a mean IC50 of 176.58 ug/mL (weak category). The superiority of ethyl acetate was predominantly distributed across roots (2.55 ug/mL), fruits (145.26 ug/mL), leaves (163.40 ug/mL), and stem bark (168.24 ug/mL) due to its selective extraction of polyphenols and flavonoids. Conversely, n-hexane performed better only in stems (0.1527 ug/mL) and flowers (31.52 ug/mL), mediated by non-polar lipophilic constituents. In conclusion, fractionation solvent efficacy heavily depends on solvent polarity and organ-specific metabolite distribution.
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