Antioxidant and Skeletal Muscle Relaxant Activity of Leaf Extract of Plant Piper Attenuatum (B. HAM)

Abstract

Piper attenuatum (B. Ham) is traditional medicinal plant in India. It has been claimed in traditional Indian system of medicine that the phytochemical constituents present in P. attenuatum (B. Ham) have Antioxidant and skeletal muscle relaxant activity. So the present study aimed to evaluate anti–oxidant and skeletal muscle relaxant activity of ethanolic, aqueous and ethanolic leaf extract of plant P. attenuatum (B. Ham), respectively. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by in vitro as well as in vivo methods. Invitro method we used DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay and H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide) scavenging assay while in vivo methods antioxidant enzymes like Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were assayed by using animal models. Anti-oxidant activity of following concentrations 10μg/mL, 20μg/mL, 30μg/mL, 40μg/mL and 50μg/mL were measured for both extracts. Ethanolic extract of P. attenuatum (B. Ham) was evaluated at dose of 100mg/kg & 200 mg/kg b.w. for skeletal muscle relaxant activity by using rota rod apparatus. The high antioxidant activity was found in the ethanolic extract of P. attenuatum (B. Ham) compared to aqueous one. For muscle relaxation, 200 mg/kg b.w. showed a significant reduction in the time spent by the animals on the revolving rod compared to the control. From the above study it may be concluded that both extract of P. attenuatum (B. Ham) having Anti – oxidant and skeletal muscle relaxant activity.