Antioxidant studies of methanolic extract Andactive fraction obtained from Ichnocarpusfrutescens

Abstract

In India, tribes used Ichnocarpus frutescens (L.) W.T. Aiton, as a substitute of Indian Sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R.Br.) to treat several illness including fever, dyspepsia, skin troubles and headache. The aim of this study was to investigate antioxidant activities of both methanolic extract and active fraction obtained from I. frutescens. Total Phenolic content of different solvent extracts was determined spectrophotometrically according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and the total flavonoid content was determined by Aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. In this study, we assessed antioxidant potential of methanolic extract and active fraction, obtained from methanolic extract of I. frutescens, using DPPH, superoxide radical scavenging assay, ABTS, reducing power assay and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP). Total Phenolic content of different solvent extracts decreases in the following order: methanol > Ethyl acetate >chloroform > petroleum ether > hexane and it was found to be 169.50±0.294 mg GA/g, 146.63±0.306mgGA/g, 42.12±0.20mgGA/g, 11.89±0.34 mgGA/g and 9.99±0.27 mgGA/g extract respectively. Total flavonoid content (TFC) of methanol extract (149.28±0.6 mg QE/g extract) was found significantly higher as compared to other solvent extracts. Active fraction shows maximum inhibition (%) of 92.37%,70 %, 74.96 % and 85.7% in 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl  DPPH, superoxide radical scavenging assay, ABTS, and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays at 100 µg/ml concentration respectively. In reducing power assay methanolic extract, active fraction and gallicacid showed absorbance of 0.62, 0.87, and 0.95 respectively at 100 µg/ml concentration. The results obtained in the present study indicate that I. frutescens can be used as an easily accessible source of natural antioxidants and could be harnessed as drug formulation.