LEAVES OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA IS AN ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTICANCER AGENT

Objective: Andrographis paniculata (Family: Acanthaceae) is a well-known medicinal plant used in the Indian traditional system of medicine for the treatment of many chronic diseases. The present study was aimed to quantify secondary metabolites, determine antioxidant, and anticancer activity of ethanol extract of A. paniculata leaves. Methods: Leaf sample was macerated with ethanol solvent. Alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, phenols, and flavonoids were quantified with standard calibrations. The antioxidant potential was tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. In vitro anticancer activity was evaluated using human epithelial type 2 (HEp-2) cell line. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to estimate the cytotoxicity of the extracts. Apoptotic and necrotic effects were characterized by DNA fragmentation assay and fluorescence microscopy using the dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining method. Results: The phytochemical analysis reveals the presence of alkaloids, saponins, phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and steroids. Alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, phenol, and flavonoid content were recorded as follows: 9.84%, 8.42%, 13.94%, 44.37 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g, and 904 mg quercetin equivalent/100 g, respectively. The antioxidant activity from DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays showed dose-dependent inhibition of free radicals. In cell viability tests, cell death with increasing extract concentration was observed. DNA fragmentation and AO/EB stain confirmed apoptosis and necrosis in extract-treated cells. Conclusion: The results indicate that A. paniculata is a promising source for the development of antioxidant and anticancer drugs

Screening of Syzygium cumini (L.) Seed Ethanol and Hexane Extracts for Phytochemicals, Antioxidant, and Anti-Diabetic Efficacy: An In-vitro Study

Many medicinal plant extracts have been known since ancient times to possess antioxidant activity to scavenge free radicals and anti-diabetic activity to control diabetes.  In this study, seeds of Syzygium cumini were extracted in ethanol and hexane solvents.  Primary and secondary metabolites were quantified.  DPPH assay, nitric oxide scavenging (NOS) assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were employed to study antioxidant activity. α-amylase inhibitory assay (AAI), yeast glucose uptake assay (YGU) and haemoglobin glycosylation inhibitory (HGI) assays were adapted to determine anti-diabetic properties.  The results from the assays and the IC50 values (18.35 µg/ml in DPPH, 943.8 µg/ml in NOS, 871.3 µg/ml in FRAP, 886 µg/ml in AAI, 764 µg/ml in YGU, and 1495.1 µg/ml in HGI assay) indicate that S. cumini seed ethanol extract has higher antioxidant and anti-diabetic efficiency than the hexane extract.  Our findings suggest that the rich phytochemical content of S. cumini seeds and its good antioxidant and anti-diabetic activity may be responsible for its popularity and wide traditional use and can be exploited to develop antioxidant and anti-diabetic drugs