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ABSTRACT
Current research is now directed towards finding naturally occurring antioxidants of plant
origin. The present study was aimed to assess the In vitro antioxidant activity of methanolic leaf
extracts of some medicinal plants by carrying the determination of Total Antioxidant power (FRAP
Assay) and Free radical scavenging capacity (DPPH Assay) and results were compared with well
established antioxidants like Ascorbic Acid and Butylated Hydroxy Toluene(BHT). Our results clearly
showed that all the plants of present study showed potent Total Antioxidant power and Free radical
scavenging capacity. Of all the plants tested, the highest total antioxidant power and free radical
scavenging capacity was shown by X. mekongensis, B. cylindrica and E. agallocha with nearly
equal to antioxidant capacity to stable antioxidants like BHT and Ascorbic acid. This data will be
useful in estimating the total pharmacological and phytochemical properties of these plants.
Total Antioxidant power FRAP assay is the only assay that directly measures
Ferric reducing ability of Plasma (FRAP) Assay antioxidants or reductants in a sample. The other
The FRAP assay measures the reduction assays are indirect because they measure the
of Fe3+ (ferric iron) to Fe2+ (ferrous iron) in the inhibition of reactive species (free radicals)
presence of antioxidants. Because the ferric-to- generated in the reaction mixture, and these results
ferrous ion reduction occurs rapidly with all also depend strongly on the type of reactive species
reductants with half reaction reduction potentials used. The FRAP assay, in contrast, uses antioxidants
above that of Fe3+/Fe2+, the values in the FRAP as reductants in a redox-linked colorimetric reaction.
assay will express the corresponding concentration Furthermore, the other assays, but not the FRAP
of electron-donating antioxidants (10). We elected assay, use a lag phase type of measurement. This
to use the FRAP analysis for several reasons. The has been difficult to standardize in previous
experiments and has generated varying results information on the reactivity of the test compound
among different laboratories. In the FRAP assay, with a stable free radical, since its odd electron with
pretreatment is not required, stoichiometric factors DPPH gives strong absorption band at 517 nm in
are constant and linearity is maintained over a wide visible spectroscopy (deep violet colour). As this
range. The results also indicated that the total electron becomes paired off in the presence of a
antioxidant power of the plant extracts was free radical scavenger, the absorption vanishes and
determined by the FRAP method was observed to the resulting decolourization is stoichiometric with
be highest in X. mexoeugensis with 1601 FRAP respect to the number of electrons taken up. All the
units followed by B. cylindrica(1471 FRAP Units), plant extracts showed significant free radical
E. agallocha (1237 FRAP Units), E. bracteata (1140 scavenging activity by inhibiting DPPH radical with
FRAP Units), G. glabra (862 FRAP Units), the percentage of inhibition was observed to be
T.decandra (720 FRAP Units), P. kurrow (645 FRAP maximum in stable and well established antioxidant
Units), B. hispida (600 FRAP Units) and C. decandra BHT (76.2%) Ascorbic acid (71.2 %) followed by X.
(360 FRAP Units) These results were presented mexoeugensis with 70.3% B. cylindrica (62%), E.
graphically in Fig. 1. agallocha (51.4%), E. bracteata (51%), G. glabra
(49 %), P. kurrow (46.1%), T.decandra (33.7%), B.
Free radical scavenging capacity hispida (28.4%) and least is observed in C. decandra
Di Phenyl Picryl Hydrazyl radical scavenging (24.5 %). These results were presented graphically
assay (DPPH Assay) in Figure.2. We therefore suggest that these plant
The free radical scavenging capacity of extracts may act as free radicals scavengers and
methanolic leaf extracts of the plants of present study may react with free radicals to convert them to more
were tested by its ability to bleach the stable DPPH stable products and terminate radical chain
radical. Antioxidants react with DPPH, which is a reaction15. Our results clearly shown that plants with
stable free radical, and convert it to 1,1-diphenyl-2- high Total Antioxidant power showed maximum Free
(2,4,6- trinitrophenyl) hydrazine14. The degree of radical scavenging capacity which was almost
decolourization indicates the scavenging potentials equivalent to well established antioxidants like
of the antioxidant compounds. This assay provided Ascorbic acid and Butylated Hydroxy Toluene (BHT).
REFERENCES