NON-ENZYMATIC ASSAY BASED IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF FREEZE DRIED WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) SEEDLINGS JUICE POWDER: NATURE’S FINEST MEDICINE-PART-II

Free radical scavenging potential and phytochemical analysis of the two different extracts of lyophilized wheat seedling juice powder (WSJP) Triticum aestivum L.(Gramineae),“Nature’s Finest Medicine” was evaluated in vitro by using diphenyl-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay and preliminary phytochemical analysis. In this method the antioxidants present in WSJP extracts reacted with DPPH, which is a stable free radical and converted it to 1,1-diphenyl-1,2-picryl, hydrazine. The scavenging effect of plant extracts and standard (L-ascorbic acid) on the DPPH radical decreased in the following order: L-ascorbic acid>Methanolic extract (I) > Water extract (II) and it was found to be 97.3%, 58.6% and 35.1% at concentration of 100µg/mL, respectively. The results were expressed as IC₅₀. Ascorbic acid which was used as a standard showed an IC₅₀ of 19.2µg/mL, whereas, the crude methanolic (I) and water (II) extracts of lyophilized wheat seedlings juice powder showed antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ values of 81.4 and131.3, respectively at 1-100µg/mL concentration. None of the extracts were found to be more active than the standard i.e. ascorbic acid. But still, free radical scavenging activity of methanolic (I) and water (II) extracts were confirmed in the present investigation. In the present study, different extracts of lyophilized wheat grass juice powder showed concentration dependent free radical scavenging activity. Significant results were recorded first time in the given estimated parameters. Therefore, this is a pioneer attempt towards the prevention and treatment of various ailments and especially antiaging properties and better understanding of therapeutic potential of WSJP not described earlier