PHARMACOGNOSTICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF HORDEUM VULGARE LINN SEED

Abstract

Plants have served human beings as a natural source for treatments and therapies from ancient times, amongst them medicinal herbs have gain attention because of its wide use and less side effects. In the recent years plant research has increased throughout the world and a huge amount of evidences have been collected to show immense potential of medicinal plants used in various traditional systems. Hordeum vulgare Linn seeds (H. vulgare, Commonly known as barley, Family: Poaceae), is an erect annual herb, 50 to 100 cm high, cultivated in the plains as well as in the hilly region of Himalaya, up to an altitude of 4000 m, in Indo- Gangetic area and Madhya Pradesh. It is locally called Jav and its seed used by traditional medical practitioners in the treatment of many diseases including liver diseases. Seeds are useful in vitiated conditions of kapha and pitta, asthma, fever, bronchiotitis, urocystitis, urethritis, gastric disorders, ulcers and anemia etc. The objective of this study was to investigate pharmacognostical, phytochemical features and antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of H. vulgare seed by using DPPH assay method. The different pharmacognostical parameters were evaluated as per standard protocols with some modifications. Qualitative analysis of various phytochemical constituents and quantitative analysis of total phenol and flavonoids were determined by the well-known test protocol available in the literature. Quantitative analysis of phenolic and flavonoids was carried out by Folins Ciocalteau reagent method and aluminium chloride method respectively. The in vitro antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extract of the seed was assessed against DPPH method using standard protocols. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, saponins and carbohydrate. The total phenolic and flavonoids content of H. vulgare seed of hydroalcoholic extract was 0.693 and 0.497mg/100mg respectively. The activities of hydroalcoholic leaves extract against DPPH assay method were concentration dependent with IC 50 values of ascorbic acid and extracts 27.82 and 76.92μg/ml respectively. These studies provided information for correct identification of this plant material. The diverse array of phytochemicals present in the plant thus suggests its therapeutic potentials which may be explored in drug manufacturing industry as well as in traditional medicine.