ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING POTENTIAL OF LEAF AND STEM BARK EXTRACTS OF BAUHINIA MALABARICA ROXB.

摘要

Aim: Crude acetone and methanolic extracts of Bauhinia malabarica leaf and stem bark were analyzed for their in vitro antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. Methods: The extracts were screened for their antioxidant activities using ferric reducing antioxidant power, DPPH.,NO., hydroxyl radical scavenging, metal iron chelating, ABTS.+, β-carotene-linoleate model system and antihemolytic activity. Results: Acetone extracts of stem bark exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity in terms of all the assays tested. In antihemolytic activity, the extracts exhibited efficient antioxidant activity and the values were considerably higher than the natural and synthetic antioxidants tested. Overall, the acetone was found to be the best solvent for the extraction of antioxidant compounds. Conclusion: Considering all the activities performed, it is known that both the leaf and stem bark extracts of B. malabarica were found to be the most effective free radical quencher and a potent source of natural antioxidants, thus justifying their traditional use in green therapeutics