IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF HYDROMETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF AVERRHOA BILIMBI L. FRUITS

Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. (Family: Oxalidiaceae) is a medicinal plant which is extensively used in traditional medicine to cure cough, cold, itches, boils, rheumatism, syphilis, diabetes, whooping cough, and hypertension. In this study, hydromethanolic extract of A. bilimbi fruits was examined for its antioxidant action using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extract were also estimated. Moreover, brine shrimp lethality bioassay was used to investigate the cytotoxic potential of A. bilimbi. The extract exhibited strong DPPH radical scavenging activity with and IC₅₀ value of 20.35μg/ml as opposed to the IC₅₀ value of the reference standard, ascorbic acid (12.6μg/ml). It also displayed remarkable total antioxidant capacity (417.093±6.577mg/g in ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)). Total phenol and total flavonoid contents of the extract were 106.16±2.818 mg/g in gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and 276.73±25.25 mg/g in quercetin equivalent (QE), respectively. A. bilimbi fruit extract also showed strong cytotoxic potential with an LC₅₀ value of 5.011μg/ml in brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Our results suggest that, in addition to having cytotoxic potential, A. bilimbi fruits are rich in polyphenolic antioxidants with strong radical scavenging capacity