ESTIMATION OF FLAVONOID CONTENT, POLYPHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF ABRUS PRECATORIUS (L.)

摘要

Objective: Abrus precatorius (L.) is a tropical plant and is used in traditional medicine for treatment of a wide range of ailments. Lately, plants with medicinal properties have gained importance for their potential therapeutic use in diseases caused due free radicals. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to estimate the total phenolic and flavonoid content and free radical scavenging activity of fresh and dry parts of Abrus precatorius . Methods: Plant material was collected from Karnala forest of Maharashtra. Extracts of leaves, stem, root and seed (fresh and dry) were prepared using four different solvents i.e. Distilled water, Ethanol, Methanol and Acetone. Each extract was tested for total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity (by FRAP, DPPH ˙ and ABTS ˙ + assays), while phenolic compounds like Gallic acid, Catechol, Vanillin, Caffeic acid, p-Coumaric acid and Ferulic acid were detected and quantified using RP-HPLC. Results: Seeds showed highest phenolic content (8.99±0.27 mg GAE/g) and DPPH˙ radical scavenging activity (88.34±0.08 %) in methanolic extracts. The leaves had the highest flavonoid content (145.68±0.99 mg RE/g). The antioxidant potential was found to be the highest in seeds followed by root, leaves and stem. Methanol proved to be the best solvent for extraction of phenolics, flavonoid and antioxidants. Conclusion: This study substantiates the high antioxidant activity of different plant parts of A. precatorius . Therefore, it can be used as a source of natural antioxidants and used in drug formulations for treatment of diseases resulting from oxidative stress. Keywords: Abrusprecatorius , TPC, TFC, antioxidant activity, RP-HPLC.