Determination of phenolic content and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> in vitro </i>antioxidant potential of ethanol extract of seven sources of<span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic"> Ayurvedic drug ‘<span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Pittapapda’ </span></span>

Abstract

81-87‘Pittapapda’ is a well known crude drug used in Indian system of traditional medicine for diarrhoea, liver disorders, leprosy, skin diseases, etc. This study presents antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of seven botanically different sources of ‘Pittapapda’, viz. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Glossocardia bosvallia (L.f.) DC., <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rostellularia procumbens (L.) Nees, Rungia repens (L.) Nees, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Naregamia alata Wight & Arn<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">., Fumaria vaillantii Loisel., Mollugo pentaphylla L. and Polycarpaea corymbosa (L.) Lam. by means of various assays including 1,1-diphenyl 2-picryl hydrazyl test by TLC and spectrophotometry, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), radical scavenging potential using photo-chemiluminescence and lipid peroxidation. The trend of phenol content was as: G. boswallea > F. vaillantii > N. alata > P. corymbosa > M. pentaphylla > R. procumbens > <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">R. repens. Out of seven species, ethanol extracts of G. bosvallia, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">F. vaillantii and N. alata having high percentage of phenol content showed potent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">in vitro antioxidant activity followed by moderate activity of M. pentaphylla and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> P. corymbosa. The above study supports use of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">G. bosvallia, F. vaillantii and N. alata to treat liver disorder in traditional medicine as their ethanol extract exhibits potent inhibition of free radicals than other four species. </span