IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF WHOLE PLANT EXTRACT OF BIOPHYTUM SPECIES

The whole plant of Biophytum reinwardtii (Zucc.) Klotzsch (BR) and Biophytum veldkampii A.E.S. Khan & et al. (BV) were evaluated for their antioxidant activities, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). The plants were successfully extracted with varying polarity solvents like pet ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol. Phytochemical evaluation of various extracts revealed the occurrence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, tannins, and flavonoids. The TPC was estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and indicated that the maximum amount was present in ethyl acetate extract of BV (61.06 mg of GA/g of extract) followed by BR (60.08 mg of GA/g of extract). The TFC was highest in the ethyl acetate extract of BV (106.67 66 mg of RU/g of extract), followed by BR (96.66 mg of RU/g of extract). In in-vitro studies, ethyl acetate extract showed maximum activity. For BR, the IC₅₀ value of DPPH radical, Nitric oxide radical, ABTS radical, Superoxide radical, and Hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activity was found to be 48.95, 60.72, 54.85, 58.53, and 59.23 µg/ml, and for BV it was 49.81, 61.17, 55.45, 58.5 and 60.23 µg/ml respectively. The study outcome reveals that ethyl acetate extract of BR and BV has substantial free radical scavenging and antioxidant potential that may be ascribed to bioactive phytochemicals like amentoflavone present in them.