In vitro xanthine oxidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of aerial parts of Flacourtia sepiaria Roxb

Abstract

The present study was carried out to investigate the in vitro xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XOI) and antioxidant activities of various extracts of the aerial parts of Flacourtia sepiaria Roxb which belongs to the family of Flacourtiaceae. Flacourtia sepiaria is traditionally used as an antidote for snake poisoning, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and kidney diseases. The XOI activity was evaluated by quantifying the decrease in absorbance of xanthine using U-V spectrophotometer. The antioxidant activities of the extract were determined by evaluating its DPPH, superoxide, hydroxyl, nitric oxide radical scavenging abilities, ferrous chelating ability, total phenolic content and flavonoid content. The XOI activity of the methanol extract (IC50 = 8.37 ± 0.21) was found to be significant (P < 0.05) when compared with standard allopurinol (IC50 = 4.18 ± 0.17). All the extracts showed significant antioxidant activity when compared with the standard. The results of this study suggest that the various extracts of the aerial parts of Flacourtia sepiaria has significant XOI and antioxidant activities.