The Antioxidant Activity of Some Medicinal Plants

Authors: PRATEEK KUMAR JAIN, VEERASAMY RAVICHANDRAN, SIMANT SHARMA, RAM. K. AGRAWAL

Abstract: The antioxidant properties of the methanol extracts of 10 medicinal plants were evaluated with the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) test, hydroxyl scavenging test, and lipid peroxidation assay. The methanol extract of Emblica officinalis was the most active according to the DPPH test, with an IC_{50} value of 7.92 ± 0.1 \mug/ml, followed by Asparagus racemosus, with an IC_{50} value of 9.28 ± 0.2 \mug/ml. The minimum free radical scavenging activity was shown by Zingiber officinale, with an IC_{50} value of 44.48 ± 1.8 \mug/ml. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of the methanolic extracts of various plants was as follows: Asparagus racemosus > Terminalia chebula > Emblica officinalis > Centella asiatica > Withania somnifera > Terminalia bellerica > Glycyrrhiza glabra > Evolvulus alsinoides > Zingiber officinale > Andrographis paniculata. According to the lipid peroxidation assay the extracts of Emblica officinalis and Evolvulus alsinoides showed the greatest effectiveness, with inhibition values of 39.14 ± 2.1% and 36.38 ± 1.3%, respectively, at the 100-\mug/m concentration (P < 0.05). Results of the present study suggest that all the tested plant materials had moderate to potent antioxidant activity.

Keywords: Antioxidants, DPPH assay, lipid peroxidation assay, medicinal plants

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