QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PHYTOCHEMICALS AND EVALUATION OF IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF THREE SELECTED AYURVEDIC MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS MEDICATIONS

This research was focused on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of phytochemicals and evaluation of in-vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of three commonly used plant parts in rheumatoid arthritis medications in Ayurveda, namely, the root of Boehmeria nivea, the barks of Gmelina arborea and Oroxylum indicum, using standard methods. Qualitative analysis of each methanol extract confirmed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, condensed tannins, polyphenols, triterpenes, sterols, and saponins in varying quantities. The highest total alkaloid content of 108.81 ± 0.54 mg caffeine equivalent per 100 g of the dry weight of plant materials (DW) and the highest total flavonoid content of 268.94 ± 12.62 mg catechin equivalent per 100 g DW were exhibited by the bark extracts of Gmelina arborea and Oroxylum indicum, respectively. The highest total condensed tannin content of 529.34 ± 30.51 mg catechin equivalent per 100 g DW and the highest total phenolic content of 640.34 ± 64.58 mg gallic acid equivalent per 100 g DW were demonstrated by the root extract of Boehmeria nivea. The highest antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ value of 30.82 ± 2.49 mg/L and the highest anti-inflammatory activity with IC₅₀ value of 119.44 ± 0.25 μg/mL were demonstrated by the bark extract of Gmelina arborea. The correlation of the anti-inflammatory activity against the total flavonoid content demonstrated a strong positive correlation with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.9568. Plant parts analyzed in this study are enriched with natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.