Abstract

PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, INORGANIC ELEMENTS, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES, PROXIMATE ANALYSIS , FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY AND GC-MS ANALYSIS OF METHANOL EXTRACT OF CEROPEGIA WOODII

Kiran Kumar S. J.* and Prabha S. J.

Abstract

Phytochemical constituents are responsible for medicinal activity ofplant species. Hence in the present study preliminary phytochemicalscreening , inorganic elements, antioxidant activities, proximateanalysis and free radical scavenging activity of Ceropegia woodii amedicinal plant was carried out. Qualitative phytochemical analysis ofthese plants confirm the presence of various secondary metabolites likesaponins, triterpenoids, steroids, tannins, lignins, alkaloids, glycosides,flavonoids and phenols. Additionally, inorganic elements like iron,chloride and sulphate were identified by total ash analysis. The sameextract was used for quantitative determination of total flavonoidcontent (88.89mg/g), total phenolic content (77.98mg/g) and totaltriterpenoids content (23.22 mg/g). The results suggest that the phytochemical properties areused for curing various ailments and possess potential anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial andantioxidant properties. This leads to the isolation of new and novel compounds. GC-MSanalysis showed the existence of various compounds with different chemical structures. Thepresence of various bioactive compounds confirms the application of Ceropegia woodii forvarious ailments by traditional practitioners. However, isolation of individual phytochemicalconstituents may proceed to find a novel drug.

Keywords: Ceropegia woodii , Indian Medicinal Plants, Phytochemical Screening