Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIALITY OF PREMNA SERRATIFOLIA L. - AN AROMATIC MEDICINAL PLANT

Lubaina A.S., Brijithlal N.D. and Murugan K.*

Abstract

Documenting and validating traditional and indigenous system of medicine in India has been continuously increasing from the last few decades. The current study was made to evaluate the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant potentiality of Premna serratifolia L. an aromatic medicinal plant known as ‘Agnimantha’ in Ayurvedic system of medicine. It has immense ethno pharmacological importance in folk medicine for curing various human ailments. The qualitative phytochemical screening of the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of P. Serratifolia revealed the presence of glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids and steroids. Subsequently, the quantification of major secondary metabolites revealed remarkable level of phenols followed by terpenoids and flavonoids. The in vitro antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant potentiality (FRAP), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, superoxide anion radicals quenching effect and metal chelating assay. The aqueous extracts showed positive correlation between concentrations of the extracts with DPPH radical scavenging capacity. Similarly the other antioxidant potentials also displayed remarkable activities when comparable with synthetic antioxidants such as ascorbate and BHA. The results suggest that the aqueous extract of P.serratifolia are potential source for natural antioxidants due to the presence of polyphenols and that could have a protective role as well as prevention from life style diseases.

Keywords: Antioxidant potentiality, Premna serratifolia, phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, FRAP, DPPH.