COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT AND DNA PROTECTIVE POTENTIALS OF FIFTEEN SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS NATIVE TO PAKISTAN

摘要

Among different properties of active constituents of medicinal plants, antioxidant properties are of primary importance which permits them to perform their function as reducing agents. Extracts from medicinal plants are utilised by pharmaceutical companies in the synthesis of allopathic medicines and then these are used against human and animal infections. In the present rep6rt, we have conducted a comparative study among seeds of fifteen medicinal plants collected from local market. The antioxidant potential of fifteen medicinal plant seeds was assessed in methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, w-hexane and aqueous extracts. The antioxidant activities were determined by evaluating reducing power, peroxidation inhibition through linoleic acid system, 2,2-diphenyl-l-l-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity, total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF) contents and DNA anti-damaging activity. Maximum percentage yield was obtained in ethyl acetate extracts of R. communis seed. The TPC, TFC, reducing power, DPPH (IC_(50)) and percentage inhibited oxidation of linoleic acid values were found to range within 40.22-745.34 μg GAE/g, 20.73-705.11 ng catechin equivalents (CE)/g, 0.121-2.73, 2.9-89.172 and 9.24-78.54%, respectively. The seed extracts were also found to be active against DNA damage by H_2O_2. Therefore, medicinal plant seeds under study can be used as a rich source of