In vivo in Vitro Antioxident Study of Ficus Bengalensis Linn

Abstract

Herbal drugs and herbal formulations are frequently considered to be less toxic and free from side effects than the synthetic one. Indian and other ancient civilizations were leveraging these plants for curing and treating various diseases and ailments. The imposing banyan tree of poetry and legend is a store-house of invaluable remedies for some of the deadliest diseases. Ficus bengalensis Linn (Moraceae) is commonly known as Banyan tree or Bargad. It possesses several medicinal properties in ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicines It is renowned for the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids in plants, generally responsible for their vibrant antioxidant activity. The present study focused on the antioxidant activity of ethanol, aqueous extract and chloroform fraction Invivo and in vitro respectively of aerial parts of Ficus bengalensis Linn found to be. The total phenolic contents of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of aerial parts of Ficus bengalensis Linn was found to 56.8 mg and 113.1 mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g respectively and total flavonoids content of both test extracts of Ficus bengalensis Linn was found to be 6.mg and 8.3 mg equivalent of quercetin /gm of the dry weight basis. The obtained amount of total phenolic and flavonoids in the tested extracts indicated that the extracts possess high antioxidant potential and In vitro methods have proven the effectiveness of the tested extracts and fractions of Ficus bengalensis Linn compared to the reference standard antioxidant ascorbic acid. Therefore, Ethanol, aqueous extracts and chloroform fraction of Ficus bengalensis Linn aerial parts indicates its ability to scavenge free radicals, thereby preventing inhibiting peroxidation chain reaction and thus provide protection against the development of diabetes which may be due to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid. Consequently it may be assumed that the antioxidant activity of the extract might play an important role for anti-hyperglycemic activity of the plant extract.