antioxidant potential of ailanthus excelsa leaves: ultrasonic extraction, phytochemical screening, and comparative analysis of metal solution-mediated extracts

Oxidative stress is a major contributor to chronic and degenerative diseases, prompting interest in plant-derived antioxidants as safe alternatives to synthetic agents. ailanthus excelsa, a medicinal plant rich in bioactive phytoconstituents, has not been extensively explored for its antioxidant activity in metal-assisted systems. this study evaluated the antioxidant potential of a. excelsa leaves through ultrasonic extraction, phytochemical screening, and comparative analysis of metal solution–mediated extracts. the hydroalcoholic extract yielded 11.34%, with pharmacognostic parameters showing alcohol-soluble extractive value of 19.2%, water-soluble extractive value of 13.8%, and total ash content of 6.8%, all within pharmacopeial limits. phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and glycosides. uv–vis spectra revealed characteristic absorbance bands at 225, 272, and 325 nm for the pure extract, while metal complexes exhibited bathochromic and hypsochromic shifts, indicating strong interactions with ag+, cu²+, fe²+, al³+, and zn²+ ions. in vitro dpph assay demonstrated that the extract alone showed 55.05 ± 0.98% radical inhibition, whereas metal-assisted extracts displayed enhanced activity in a concentration-dependent manner. among these, 2% cu²+–extract (73.64 ± 0.88%) and 2% fe²+–extract (71.66 ± 0.95%) exhibited the highest scavenging activity, followed by ag+ and al³+ complexes, while zn²+ showed minimal enhancement. statistical analysis confirmed significant improvement of most complexes compared to the extract (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). these findings suggest that copper- and iron-mediated a. excelsa extracts possess superior antioxidant potential, supporting their future development as natural antioxidant formulations.