Reducing Power Ability Research Articles

Antioxidant, lipid peroxidation inhibition and free radical scavenging efficacy of a diterpenoid compound sugiol isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides

ObjectiveTo investigate the antioxidant efficacy of a biologically active diterpenoid compound sugiol isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides (M. glyptostroboides) in various antioxidant models. MethodsAn abietane type diterpenoid sugiol, isolated from ethyl acetate extract of M. glyptostroboides cones, was analyzed for its antioxidant efficacy as reducing power ability and lipid peroxidation inhibition as well as its ability to scavenge free radicals such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl, nitric oxide, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. ResultsThe sugiol showed significant and concentration-dependent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. Consequently, the sugiol exerted lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect by 76.5% as compared to α-tocopherol (80.13%) and butylated hydroxyanisole (76.59%). In addition, the sugiol had significant scavenging activities of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl, nitric oxide, superoxide and hydroxyl free radicals in a concentration-dependent manner by 78.83%, 72.42%, 72.99% and 85.04%, when compared to the standard compound ascorbic acid (81.69%, 74.62%, 73.00% and 73.79%) and α-tocopherol/butylated hydroxyanisole (84.09%, 78.61%, 74.45% and 70.02%), respectively. ConclusionsThese findings justify the biological and traditional uses of M. glyptostroboides or its secondary metabolites as confirmed by its promising antioxidant efficacy.

Evaluation of Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Various Leaf Extracts from Kedrostis foetidissima (Jacq.) Cogn.,

The present study was to compare the effect of in vitro free radical scavenging activity between the various leaf extracts (aqueous, methanol, acetone chloroform and petroleum ether) of Kedrostis foetidissima. The free radical scavenging activity was found to be high in methanolic extract for DPPH, hydroxyl, nitric oxide, superoxide,hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) radical in a concentration dependent manner followed by chloroform, aqueous, acetone and petroleum ether extracts. The metal chelating activity and reducing power ability was also similar as above. The content of total phenols, flavonoids and tannins was also found to be high in methanolic extract which may be correlated to its antioxidant activity. Thus the result suggests that the methanolic leaf extract of K.foetidissima could serve as a potential source of antioxidants and can be explored as a therapeutic agent in free radical induced diseases.

Comparative Study of Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Leaf Extracts of Alstonia boonei and Eupatorium odoratum

This study investigated the in vitro antioxidant activity and phenolic content of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Alstonia boonei and Eupatorium odoratum leaves . Total phenol, flavonoid and flavonol content of the extracts were estimated to determine the levels of phenolics in the extracts. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts were assessed through diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and reducing power (RP). The results revealed that the DPPH radical scavenging ability of aqueous extract of E. odoratum (with IC 50 = 0.07± 0.003mg/ml) compares favourably with that of the standard ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 0.06 ± 0.01 mg/ml). There was a dose-dependent increase in FRAP and RP capacity in all the extracts. The ethanol extract of E. odoratum had the highest FRAP while the aqueous extract of A. boonei showed the highest RP ability when compared with the other extracts. However, flavonol content was highest in the aqueous extract of E. odoratum followed by ethanol extract of A. boonei . The phenolic and flavonoid contents of extracts of E. odoratum were higher than that of A. boonei extracts. This study, therefore, reveals that aqueous extract of A. boonei and ethanol extract of E. odoratum leaf are more effective free radical scavengers and antioxidants relative to the other extract forms. These findings support the use of these extracts as potential sources of natural antioxidants. Keywords: Alstonia boonei, Eupatorium odoratum, phenolics, antioxidant

Comparison of Biological Activities of Synurus deltoides (Aiton) Nakai Under Different Shading Conditions

Shade treatment of Synurus deltoides (Aiton) Nakai was carried out with 0, 35, and 55% shading net, and samples were marked as no shade, 35% shade, and 55% shade, respectively. We examined in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-2-pricylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, a reducing power assay, a total antioxidant assay, a metal chelating assay, a superoxide radical scavenging assay, and a nitric oxide inhibition assay. As a result, no shade and 35% shade possessed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power ability than that of 55% shade. Notably, no shade had significantly higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents than those in the other samples. No shade exhibited significantly higher total antioxidant activity than that of 35% shade and 55% shade. However, the chelating ability of 55% shade was significantly greater than that of no shade and 35% shade; 55% shade also showed significantly higher anti-inflammatory capacity than that of no shade or 35% shade.

Heteroaryl Chalcones: Design, Synthesis, X-ray Crystal Structures and Biological Evaluation

Chalcone derivatives have attracted increasing attention due to their numerous pharmacological activities. Changes in their structures have displayed high degree of diversity that has proven to result in a broad spectrum of biological activities. The present study highlights the synthesis of some halogen substituted chalcones 3(a–i) containing the 5-chlorothiophene moiety, their X-ray crystal structures and the evaluation of possible biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal and reducing power abilities. The results indicate the tested compounds show a varied range of inhibition values against all the tested microbial strains. Compound 3c with a p-fluoro substituent on the phenyl ring exhibits elevated antimicrobial activity, whereas the compounds 3e and 3f displayed the least antimicrobial activities. The compounds 3d, 3e, 3f and 3i showed good ferric and cupric reducing abilities, and the compounds 3b and 3c showed the weakest reducing power in the series.

Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Activity of Rhizome of Podophyllum hexandrum against Carbon Tetra Chloride Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

ObjectiveTo test possible antioxidant activity of n-hexane extract of Podophyllum hexandrum under in vitro and in vivo conditions. MethodsThe in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by the ability of the extract to interact with the stable free radical DPPH, Superoxide (O2−), Hydroxyl (OH−), Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) radicals, and reducing power ability of the extract was also evaluated. Under in vivo conditions the extract was evaluated for its hepatoprotective activity by measuring different biochemical parameters, such as serum alanine aminotransaminase, serum aspartate aminotransaminase and serum lactate dehydrogenase and antioxidant enzymes. Antioxidant status was estimated by determining the activities of antioxidative enzymes, glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and by determining the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). ResultsHexane extract of P. hexandrum exhibited good radical scavenging capacity in neutralization of DPPH, O2−, OH −, and H2O2 radicals in a dose dependent manner. n-hexane extract of Podophyllum hexandrum at the doses of 20, 30, and 50 mg/kg-day produced hepatoprotective effect by decreasing the activity of serum marker enzymes, while it significantly increased the levels of glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), super oxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in a dose dependant manner. The effect of n-hexane extract was comparable to that of standard antioxidant vitamin E. ConclusionThe extract of Podophyllum hexandrum possess free radical scavenging activity under in vitro conditions and could protect the liver tissue against CCl4 induced oxidative stress probably by increasing antioxidant defense activities.

IN VITRO ANTIOXIDATIVE PROFILING OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTS OF FAGONIA SCHWEINFURTHII (HADIDI) HADIDI

The present study was aimed to evaluate in vitro antioxidant activity of Fagonia schweinfurthii (Hadidi) Hadidi. F. schweinfurthii was successively extracted with different solvents such as petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The antioxidant activity of F. schweinfurthii extracts was investigated using different assays like 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2,2’-azino-bis(3ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) diammonium salt radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging activity, nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity, ferric reducing power and β-carotene bleaching assay. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts were determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu method and aluminium chloride method, respectively in order to evaluate a relationship between the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical constituents. The F. schweinfurthii methanolic extract (FSME) exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher ABTS radical, NO radical and H2O2 scavenging activity, reducing power ability and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were highest in the FSME (94.61 ± 1.51 mg GAE/g and 21.52 ± 0.17 mg QE/g) respectively. The present study showed that FSME had more antioxidant power than other extracts. Further studies are necessary to isolate active principles responsible for the overall antioxidant activity of the extracts.

ESTIMATION OF TOTAL FLAVONOIDS CONTENT (TFC) AND ANTI OXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF METHANOLIC WHOLE PLANT EXTRACT OF BIOPHYTUM SENSITIVUM LINN

Biophytum sensitivum linn. (Oxalidaceae), is an important and widely used medicinal plant. Biophytum sensitivum linn. is used as a traditional folk medicine in ailments such as inflammation, arthritis, wounds, tumors and burns, gonorrhea, stomach ache, asthma, cough, degenerative joint disease, urinary calculi, diabetes, snake bite, amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea.. The total flavonoid content of methanolic whole plant extract of B. sensitivum (MEBS) was determined by using aluminium chloride colorimetric method. Flavonoid compounds were found to be 9.49 µg of quercetin equivalent [QE] per mg of methanolic whole plant extract of Biophytum sensitivum. In this study phytochemical analysis of methanolic extract of B. sensitivum L. has indicated the presence of flavonoid . Since these compounds are of pharmacological interest, coupled with the use of this plant in traditional medicine, it prompted us to check B.sensitivum  L. for possible antioxidant activity by DPPH scavenging activity and reducing power ability. The maximum percentage inhibition by DPPH method was found about 43.96 at concentration of 110.46µg/ml, when compared with Quercetin. The reducing capabilities were found to be in dose dependent manner. Key words: Biophytum sensitivum, aluminium chloride, quercetin, DPPH.

IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF GARCINIA INDICA LINN ALCOHOLIC FRUITS EXTRACTS

The current research was an attempt to reiterate the antioxidant potential of alcoholic fruit extract of Garcinia indica invitro. The fruits of Garcinia indica were collected and shade dried at room temperature. The powdered mass was defatted with petroleum ether then filtered and residue was extracte d with ethanol (95%) into soxhlet appa ratus . The suspension of extract was prepared freshly in normal saline with the help of 0.5% w/v carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Varying concentration of extract (10, 25, 50 and 100 µg/ml) was tested for invitro antioxidant properties. Antioxidant activity w as determined by DPPH assay, reducing power ability, hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay and hydroxyl radical (OH ) scavenging activity. The ethanolic fruit extract of Garcinia indica demonstrated antioxidant potential dose dependently with best activity at 100 µg/ml. In conclusion, traditionally claimed medicinal benefits of Garcinia indica might be due to its potent anti - oxidant nature. However, further studies to be carried out on animal models using their biological tissues before exploiting for its cli nical benefits.

In vitro antioxidant potential of dicliptera roxburghiana

BackgroundStress caused by free radicals accumulation result into many hazardous diseases. A number of investigations are focusing to find out the plant oriented natural antioxidant moieties. The basic aim of this research was to investigate the antioxidant potential, total Phenolic and flavonoids contents and photochemical screening of the crude methanol extract and its derived various fractions Dicliptera roxburghiana of Acanthaceae family.MethodsCrude methanol extract of aerial parts of Dicliptera roxburghiana (DRME) was partitioned in to n-hexane (DRHF), chloroform (DRCF), ethyl acetate (DREF), n-butanol (DRBF) and the remaining soluble portion as residual aqueous fraction (DRAF). We evaluated the antioxidant activities of the extract and various fractions through different analytical methods such as DPPH, superoxide anion, ABTS, H2O2, hydroxyl radical and phosphomolybdate radical inhibition. In vitro lipid peroxidation and reducing power of the plant was also analyzed. Total flavonoid and phenolic contents of the extract and all fractions were also quantified. Plant was also subjected for preliminary phytochemical screening to confirm the presence or absence of various constituents in the plant.ResultsPhytochemical screening confirmed the presence of flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids and coumarines. Quantitative analysis revealed the maximum amount of total phenolic and flavonoid contents in DRME while lowest in DRHF. Methanol extract, DREF, DRCF and DRBF exhibited promising antioxidant potential for DPPH, ABTS, H2O2, phosphomolybdate, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging capabilities, while these were not appreciable for DRHF and DRAF. All fractions except DRHF and DRAF possess strong reducing power ability and showed appreciable lipid peroxidation inhibition.ConclusionThese research investigations revealed that Dicliptera roxburghiana is a potent source of natural antioxidants. Hence the plant can be used for management of different stress and anxiety related ailments.

Antioxidant activity of various solvent fractions from edible brown alga, Eisenia bicyclis and its active compounds.

In this study, we aimed to elucidate the antioxidant capacity of Eisenia bicyclis and evaluated its antioxidant activity using various assay systems such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, reducing power ability, and content of total polyphenol. Among all the performed experiments, the ethyl acetate fraction of E. bicyclis exhibited higher antioxidant activities. From this finding, isolation and purification were performed on the ethyl acetate fraction and identified dieckol and phlorofucofureoeckol-A by spectroscopic analyses including FAB-mass in the negative mode, (1) H NMR, (13) C NMR, (1) H-(1) H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC spectra. Interestingly, ABTS radical scavenging activities of dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol showed strong effects of 65.36% and 70.38% at a concentration of 50 μg/mL, respectively. DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power abilities were increased in a dose-dependent manner at various concentrations. These results suggest that dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol-A of E. bicyclis may play an important role in protection from oxidative stress involving reactive oxygen species and may contribute to the development of new bio products, for example, a useful preservative to improve food quality and a drug for various oxidative damage-associated diseases. Practical Application: The results suggest that dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol-A can be utilized as a natural source for potential application of antioxidant in food industry and drug for oxidative damage-associated diseases.

The Antioxidative Activity of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Rosemary and Green Tea Leaves: A Comparative Study

The antioxidant activities of rosemary and green tea leaves, aqueous and ethanolic extracts, have been studied by using two different methods (reducing power and chelating ability). It was found that the total phenolic compounds in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of rosemary and green tea leaves were 13.44, 18.75, 39.38 and 48.44 mg/ 100 mg dry extract respectively. The flavonoids (which is a part of the phenolic compounds) were found to be 9.54, 12.65, 17.69 and 22.70 mg/ 100 mg dry extract in aqueous and ethanolic extract of rosemary and green tea leaves respectively. The ethanolic extract shows high content of phenolic compounds and in turn highly antioxidative activiy for both rosemary and green tea leaves as compared with aqueous extract.The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of rosemary and green tea leaves show high reducing power ability comparing with their abilities as chelating agents. Although, the phenolic compounds of green tea leave almost about 3-fold as compared with rosemary leave in both aqueous and ethanolic extracts, their extracts show extremely the same mode of action in both methods of determination (the reducing power and chelating ability). Therefore, we are fully recommended the rosemary leave extracts as a potent food preservative.

Total phenolic, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of the leaves of Meyna spinosa Roxb., an Indian medicinal plant

AimThe objective of the present study was to determine the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, and to evaluate the antioxidant potential of different leaf extracts of Meyna spinosa Roxb. ex Link, a traditional medicinal plant of India. MethodsFree radical scavenging and antioxidant potential of the methanol, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether extracts of Meyna spinosa leaves were investigated using several in vitro and ex vivo assays, including the 2, 2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, superoxide anion scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, nitric oxide radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, metal chelating assay, and reducing power ability method. Total antioxidant activity of the extracts was estimated by the ferric thiocyanate method. Inhibition assay of lipid peroxidation and oxidative hemolysis were also performed to confirm the protective effect of the extracts. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the extracts were estimated using standard chemical assay procedures. ResultsMethanol extracts showed the highest polyphenolic content and possessed the better antioxidant activity than the other two extracts. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents in the methanol extract were (90.08 ± 0.44) mg gallic acid equivalents/g and (58.50 ± 0.09) mg quercetin equivalents/g, respectively. The IC50 of the methanol extract in the DPPH·, superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide radical, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and metal chelating assays were (16.4 ± 0.41), (35.9 ± 0.19), (24.1 ± 0.33), (23.7 ± 0.09), (126.8 ± 2.92), and (117.2 ± 1.01) μg·mL−1, respectively. The methanol extract showed potent reducing power ability, total antioxidant activity, and significantly inhibit lipid peroxidation and oxidative hemolysis which was similar to that of standards. ConclusionThe results indicated a direct correlation between the antioxidant activity and the polyphenolic content of the extracts, which may the foremost contributors to the antioxidant activity of the plant. The present study confirmed that the methanol extract of Meyna spinosa leaves is a potential source of natural antioxidants.

In Vitro Antioxidant and Antihemolytic Activities of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Allium scabriscapum Boiss. & Ky. Aerial Parts and Bulbs

This study is designed to evaluate the antioxidant and antihaemolytic activities of the hydroalcoholic extracts of Allium scabriscapum aerial parts and bulbs by employing eight in vitro assay systems. In 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging assay, both the extracts show moderate scavenging activity. The reducing power ability of extracts increased with increasing in the samples concentrations. IC50 for metal chelating activity of aerial parts and bulbs extracts were 894.6 ± 31.29 and 746.2 ± 26.11 μg mL−1, respectively. The aerial part extracts show better nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activities than the bulb. Extracts exhibited good antioxidant activity in linoleic acid emulsion system and were comparable to vitamin C (p > 0.05). Aerial parts extract showed better antihemolytic activity against cumene hydroperoxide and hydrogen peroxide-induced hemolysis. Among the extracts A. scabriscapum, aerial parts had higher phenolic and flavonoid contents.

Research on the preparation of antioxidant peptides derived from egg white with assisting of high-intensity pulsed electric field

Egg white protein powder, one of the main egg products, was hydrolysed by Alcalase, Trypsin, and Pepsin respectively to prepare antioxidant peptides. All hydrolysates were assayed by determination of reducing power (RP) ability. Three kinds of hydrolysates were prepared under optimal enzymatic parameters that were obtained from the preliminary one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and response surface methodology (RSM) experiments. The results showed that the Alcalase hydrolysates exerted the best RP ability. Thereafter, the Alcalase hydrolysates were sequentially fractionated by ultra filtration membranes in cut-off molecular weight (MW) of 30, 10, and 1kDa, and tested their antioxidant activities in terms of RP ability, DPPH radical scavenging ability, ABTS radical scavenging ability, and FRAP assay. Effects of high intensity pulsed electric field treatment were further investigated on antioxidant peptides to improve their activities. The results showed that Alcalase hydrolysates possessed the strongest antioxidant ability compared with the other two hydrolysates, particularly for the Fraction-3 with MW <1kDa. After PEF treatment, this fraction showed a significant improvement of RP ability within 5h (P<0.05).

Evaluation of Nutraceutical Components and Antioxidant Potential of North Indian Wild Culinary-Medicinal Termitophilous Mushrooms

Mushrooms have long been treated as a delicacy. Nowadays, however, many researchers consider them to be nutraceutical foods. The objective of this study was to determine the nutraceutical components in 7 edible species of Termitomyces (T. microcarpus, T. radicatus, T. badius, T. medius, T. heimii, T. striatus, and T. mammiformis) collected from different localities in North India during the monsoon season; their antioxidant properties also were determined by DPPH free radical scavenging ability and reducing power ability. The various nutraceutical components evaluated include phenolics (15.0-25.85 mg/g), flavonoids (1.38-2.02 mg/g), ascorbic acid (0.018-0.15 mg/g), β-carotene (0.11-0.27 µg/g), and lycopene (0.03-0.19 µg/g).

Radical scavenging and amino acid profiling of wedge clam, Donax cuneatus (Linnaeus) protein hydrolysates.

Body, foot and viscera of Donax cuneatus (Linnaeus) were hydrolyzed using commercial proteases (pepsin, trypsin and papain) and tested for their antioxidant activity by DPPH scavenging ability and reducing power assays. In comparison between all the hydrolysates, papain viscera (28.513 ± 0.165 & 0.186 ± 0.008) and foot (33.567 ± 0.132 & 0.166 ± 0.013) hydrolysates showed highest DPPH and reducing power ability respectively. The active hydrolysates were purified with DEAE- cellulose followed by Sephadex G-25 columns connected to FPLC. Further, the isolated active fractions were loaded onto HPLC for their amino acid profiling and found with the presence of potential amino acids viz., histidine, cysteine, alanine etc. These results suggest that the isolated antioxidant peptide from viscera and foot hydrolysate of D. cuneatus can be used in treating human diseases where free radicals and oxidative damage are involved.

Gastric H+, K+-ATPase Inhibition, and Antioxidant Properties of Selected Commonly Consumed Vegetable Sources

Oxidative stress and upregulation of gastric H+, K+-ATPase enzyme activity have been known to cause ulcer pathogenicity for which safer drugs are yet to be identified. Aqueous extracts of seven commonly consumed vegetable sources were screened for inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase and antioxidant activities. Results indicated that Z. officinale (Ginger) followed by M. arvensis (Pudina) are potent gastroprotective sources with inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase of IC50 of 18.3 ± 0.7 and 25.2 ± 0.9 μg gallic acid equivalents/ml respectively, which is almost equivalent or better than the known inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase—Omeprazole (IC50 ˜27 μg/ml). Further, all these vegetable extracts showed multi-potent antioxidant activity, such as free radical scavenging, reducing power ability, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, which are required to inhibit complex steps of ulcerations. On the basis of the absolute amounts and potency of inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase as well as antioxidant activity of individual phenolic acids, the relative percentage contribution of phenolic acids from different vegetable extracts to both inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase and antioxidant activity was calculated and data revealed that gentisic and protocatechuic acid contributes significantly to both inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase and antioxidant activity.

Studies on phytochemical and In-Vitro antioxidant potential of Justicia beddomei (Clarke) Bennett

Introduction: The current study was carried out to investigate the phytochemical constituents and in vitro antioxidant potential of the aerial parts of Justicia beddomei (Clarke) Bennett belonging to the family Acanthaceae. The aerial part of J. bebbomei is traditionally used as a hepatoprotective, antitussive and antispasmodic. Methods: The dried powdered aerial parts of J. beddomei were extracted using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol using a soxhlet extractor and preliminary phytochemical screening was performed using standard protocols. All the extracts were evaluated for their potential antioxidant activities using tests such as DPPH, hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical scavenging abilities, β-carotene-linoleic acid model, reducing power ability and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Results: Preliminary screening revealed the presence of bioactive components especially phenolics and flavonoids in all the extracts. The phenolic and flavonoid content was found to be highest in methanolic extract and lowest in petroleum ether extract. All extracts showed strong antioxidant activity when compared with the standard. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that the aerial part extracts of J. beddomei is a good source of antioxidant constituents.

Antioxidant Activity and Protection from DNA Damage by Water Extract from Pine (Pinus densiflora) Bark

Water extract from Pinus densiflora (WPD) was investigated for its antioxidant activity and its ability to provide protection from DNA damage. A series of antioxidant assays, including a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging assay, a reducing power assay, a metal-chelating assay, a superoxide radical scavenging assay, and a nitrite scavenging ability, as well as a DNA damage protection assay were performed. Total phenolic content was found to be 211.32 mg Tan/g WPD. The extract scavenged 50% DPPH free radical at a concentration of 21.35 μg/mL. At that same concentration, the reducing power ability of WPD was higher than that of α-tocopherol. The extract chelated 68.9% ferrous ion at the concentration of 4 mg/mL. WPD showed better nitrite scavenging effect at the lower pH. Meanwhile, WPD exhibited a strong capability for DNA damage protection at 1 mg/mL concentration. Taken together, these data suggest water extract from Pinus densiflora could be used as a suitable natural antioxidant.