Abstract

COMPARISON OF PHYTOCHEMICALS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT PLANT PARTS OF SPHAERANTHUS INDICUS

Deepti Gubrele*, Ranu Singh and Akhilesh Ayachi

Abstract

The different plant parts of Sphaeranthus indicus were extracted with different solvants in order to accommodate all the phytochemicals responsible for the antioxidant activity. Presence of tannins and sterols, triterpenes and saponins were found in all plant parts. Flavonoids were present in root methanolic extract and methanol and ethyl acetate extract of flowers principally. The quantitative estimation of total phenolic content revealed highest phenolic content in methanolic extract of stem (963.3 ± 11.2 mg tanninc acid equivalant) followed by methanol and ethyl acetate extract of flower (958.0 ± 34.7 and 704.6 ± 21.3 mg tanninc acid equivalent respectively). The antioxidant activity using DPPH radical scavenging met showed that ascorbic acid showed 92.5% antioxidant activity at 1 mg ml-1 concentration. In the same concentrations, the aqueous extract of root, methanolic and ethyl acetate extract of flower produced highest antioxidant activity as 70.3 ± 10.2% each. Aqueous extract of leaf, flower and methanol extract of root also produced good antioxidant activities. The study strengthens the traditional claims of use of S. indicus flowers as and antioxidant and hepatoprotective agent.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, Sphaeranthus indicus, phytochemicals, antioxidants, DPPH assay.