Abstract
BackgroundIn folk medicine leaves and stem of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) are commonly used to treat diarrhea, fever, diabetes, pain and a number of ailments. The present study was carried out to explore antioxidant, analgesic and antidiarrhoeal activities of ethanol extract of leaves and stem of B. gymnorrhiza and also to analyze its major bioactive natural polyphenols by HPLC-DAD.MethodsTotal polyphenol content was spectrophotometrically determined using Folin Chiocalteu’s reagent while the flavonoids by aluminum chloride colorimetric assay. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging, reducing power, nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. Identification and quantification of bioactive polyphenols were done by HPLC-DAD method. Antidiarrhoeal activity of the extracts was evaluated using experimentally castor oil induced diarrhea in mice. Acetic acid induced writhing method was used to evaluate the analgesic activity. Acute oral toxicity and brine shrimp lethality assay were performed to check the cytotoxic potential.ResultsBoth the leave and stem extracts contain significant amount of phenolic and flvonoid content. Extracts showed DPPH radical scavenging, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and also concentration dependent reducing power activity. HPLC analysis of both extract indicated the presence of significant amount of vanillic acid along with other phenolic constituents. Both extracts showed significant (P < 0.01) analgesic and antidiarrhoeal activity. Furthermore, extracts showed negligible toxic effect.ConclusionAlong with other phenolic compounds, vanillic acid present in the extract may be responsible for antioxidant, analgesic and antidiarrhoeal activities. Altogether these results rationalize the use of this plant in traditional medicine.
Highlights
In folk medicine leaves and stem of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) are commonly used to treat diarrhea, fever, diabetes, pain and a number of ailments
Plant materials and extraction For the present investigation the leaf and stem of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza were collected from the Sundarban of Khulna, Bangladesh area in April 2015 and were identified by expert at the Bangladesh National Herbarium (Accession no.: DACB-41874), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Leaves extract showed the presence of anthraquinone glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannin, saponins and absence of terpenoid and gum
Summary
In folk medicine leaves and stem of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) are commonly used to treat diarrhea, fever, diabetes, pain and a number of ailments. The present study was carried out to explore antioxidant, analgesic and antidiarrhoeal activities of ethanol extract of leaves and stem of B. gymnorrhiza and to analyze its major bioactive natural polyphenols by HPLC-DAD. Natural products are supposed to be an important source of new chemical substances with potential therapeutic applications. The most important of these chemically active constituents of plants are alkaloid, tannin, flavonoid and phenolic compounds [1, 2]. Since antiquity many plants are used as folk medicine to treat infectious diseases such as urinary tract infections, diarrhoea, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) (Rhizophoraceae) is an evergreen mangrove tree, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical coastlines.
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