IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF THE SUCCESSIVE EXTRACTS OF ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA LEAVES

The importance of medicinal plant has been emphasized from time to time. It is believed that the drug of natural origin shall play an important role in health care particularly in rural areas of India. Ziziphus mauritiana belongs to family Rhamnaceae and commonly known as Indian jujube or ber .The leaves are alternate and elliptic. Flowers are small and bisexual .The leaves are about 2.5 – 3.2 cm long. Commercially it is cultivated in China & India. Ziziphus mauritiana is small to medium sized spiny tree. Ziziphus mauritiana contains fructose, galactose, malonic acid, malic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and vanillic acid .The antioxidant activities of the plant extract and pure compounds were assessed by Reduction of NBT (Nitro Blue Terazolium) and Nitric Oxide Radical Inhibition activity method. The five successive extract (benzene, petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extract) of Ziziphus mauritiana Leaves and one standard (Ascorbic acid) were tested for in-vitro antioxidant activity. The result was expressed as IC₅₀ values and percentage inhibition at different concentrations (25, 50, 100, 200, 250, and 500 in µg/ml). The methanol extract showed maximum antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ value of 36.34±0.16µg/ml and percentage inhibition 33.60±0.06, 41.08±0.12, 64.40±1.32, 76.36±0.56, 81.42±0.64 and 87.23±0.04 at 25, 50, 100, 200, 250, and 500 in µg/ml concentrations respectively.