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March-April 2017 Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 212
Research Paper
Wild plants remain to be a major source of traditional
medicine in rural areas of North-Eastern (NE) region
of India. In this part of India several wild and aromatic
plants have traditionally been used as medicine against
several health complications such as heart attack,
cancer, diabetes, malaria, jaundice, inammation and
wound healing[1-3]. Despite of remarkable progress in
the eld of medical sciences and synthetic medicines
more than 25% of commercial drugs/chemicals come
directly or indirectly from plants. According to World
Health Organization (WHO) report, more than 80%
population of developing countries like India depends
on traditional medicine for daily healthcare needs
because of its easy accessibility, less preparation costs
and absence of any undesirable side effects[4,5]. Over the
last few decades several potent chemotherapeutic drugs
and molecules have been derived from plants. Out of
20% plant species studied scientically worldwide,
only about 6% are screened for its pharmaceutical
potential[6,7]. Screening of various phytochemical
constituents and antioxidant properties including
heavy metal is a major part of pharmaceutical drug
discovery. Although NE India is full of medicinal plants
very few studies have been carried out to explore its
phytochemical contents and antioxidant properties[8-10].
In addition to antioxidant activities, presence of
metallic elements at certain concentration is benecial
to both plants and animals[11]. Trace metals serve either
as cofactors or activators of enzymes forming enzymes/
substrate-metal complex and exert catalytic property or
regulators of nerve transmission, muscle contraction,
osmotic pressure and salt-water balance[12]. It is known
that several elements such as cobalt (Co), copper (Cu),
chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese
(Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se)
and zinc (Zn) are essential compounds required for
various biochemical and physiological functions.
Inadequate supply of these micro-nutrients results in
variety of deciency diseases[13]. On the other hand,
heavy metals like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), Cr, lead
(Pb) and mercury (Hg) do not have any well-known
Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant Activity of
Hodgsonia heteroclita (Roxb)
A. SWARGIARY* AND D. BRAHMA
Department of Zoology, Bodoland University, Kokrajhar-783 370, India
Swargiary and Brahma: Phytochemical Screening of Hodgsonia heteroclita
Hodgsonia heteroclita (Roxb) is an important medicinal plant of Northeast India. The fruit pulp of H.
heteroclita is traditionally used as antidiabetic medicine. Due to its pharmacological properties, the present
study was aimed to investigate the phytochemical, antioxidant and heavy metal contents of the plant.
Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phytochemicals like phenolics, avonoids,
alkaloids, saponins and steroids. The heavy metal content when analysed using Analytik Jena AAS vario-6
Graphite furnace spectrometer revealed highest content of iron followed by chromium and copper. Two toxic
metals, cadmium and lead were found within the acceptable range. The antioxidant capacities of alcoholic
extract of plant was studied by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl, ferric reducing antioxidant power assay,
lipid peroxidation scavenging activity assay and phosphomolybdate assay showed signicant free radical
scavenging potential. Pearson correlation revealed strong relationship between the phytochemical contents
and antioxidant capacity of the plant. The present study revealed that the plant extract possessed good
antioxidant activity and less quantity of toxic metals, which therefore can be used as a source of natural free
radical scavenger. However, further study need to be carried out to know its mode of action.
Key words: Wild plants, phytochemicals, antioxidant, trace elements, Assam
*Address for correspondence
E-mail: ananbuzoo101@gmail.com
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License, which
allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially,
as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under
the identical terms
Accepted 02 March 2017
Revised 09 December 2016
Received 05 July 2016
Indian J Pharm Sci 2017;79(2):212-219
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March-April 2017
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
213
biological role and are known to be systemic toxicant
that induces multiple organ damages and diseases[14].
Hodgsonia heteroclita (Roxb), family Cucurbitaceae,
is a perennial, climber plant that reaches up to 30 m
in length and grows well in hilly terrain of southern
Asia such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and India. It is a
deciduous plant having a long life span of up to 70
y[15]. The ower and fruit setting of plant is temperature
dependent and owers open only during the night
time. In the NE region of India, the plant is mainly
distributed in the hilly areas of Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Distributed within the geographical locations of 89°
50/E to 96° 10/E and 24° 30/N to 28° 10/N, Assam
is one among the richest biodiversity zones of NE
India with diverse ethnicity and rich ora and fauna.
Several medicinal and wild edible plants have been
studied for its pharmacological properties from this
part of India[16,17]. Inhabited with different ethnic
groups like Bodos, Rabhas, Mishing and Garo this part
of India is rich in traditional knowledge of healthcare
systems. H. heteroclita is one such traditionally used
medicinal plant, the fruit extract of which is used as
antihyperglycemic agent[18]. The plant is also reported
to be used against various ailments like nose complain,
fever, helminth and bacterial infections[19]. Although
the fruit extract of H. heteroclita is used by the local
people as antihyperglycemic agent, to the best of our
knowledge no scientic report has been published on
the antioxidant activity and heavy metal content of
this plant. In view of its medicinal value, the present
study was designed to explore the phytochemical and
heavy metal content and antioxidant potential of H.
heteroclita.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ascorbic acid (AA), gallic acid, quercetin, aluminum
chloride (AlCl3), ferric chloride (FeCl3), Folin-
Ciocalteu, bovine serum albumin (BSA), oxalic
acid, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), 1,1-diphenyl-2-
picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), trichloroacetic acid (TCA),
2,4,6-tri(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine (TPTZ), sulphuric
acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCl), ammonium
molybdate, potassium ferricyanide (K3Fe(CN)6),
sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), chloroform and
alcohols were purchased from HiMedia Laboratories,
Mumbai and SRL Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India. All the
chemicals used were of analytical grade.
Collection, identication and preparation of plant
extract:
Fresh fruits of H. heteroclita were collected from
nearby jungles of Kokrajhar town and were identied
in the Department of Botany, Bodoland University.
After collection, the fruits were washed with distilled
water, pulp extracted and completely dried in hot air
oven at 50°. Dried samples were ground to a powder
and soaked in 80% methanol. Solution was ltered
after 24 h of soaking and fresh solvent was added.
The process was repeated four times and the ltrate
obtained was evaporated in a rotary evaporator. Dry,
semi-solid extracts (crude extract) obtained was kept at
4° for further use.
Heavy metal analysis:
Heavy metal content of plant was analysed following
the method reported by Welz and Sperling[20]. Briey,
1 g of plant powder was digested with concentrated
HNO3:HCl (3:1 ratio) at 85° for 3 h. After adding 1
ml of concentrated HClO4, the solution was ltered and
diluted to 50 ml of distilled water. An Analytik Jena
AAS vario-6 Graphite furnace spectrometer furnished
with PC-controlled 6-piece lamp turret and argon gas
supply was used for all of the absorption measurements
of metal contents of the plant. The elements instrumental
conditions are given in Table 1.
Qualitative phytochemical study:
The presence of phytochemicals such as avonoids,
phenolics, reducing sugar, saponins, steroids and
tannins in the plant was analysed following standard
protocols[21,22]. For anthraquinones, 100 mg of plant
extract was boiled with 10 ml of 1% HCl and ltered.
Filtrate shaken with 3 ml of benzene and 2 ml of 10%
ammonia solution and mixture was ltered. Presence
of anthraquinone was conrmed by the presence of
pink, violet or red colour in the ammonical phase of the
solution. Presence of cardiac glycoside was detected
when 5 ml (10 mg/ml methanol) of plant extract mixed
with 2 ml glacial acetic acid and few drops of FeCl3
were added. Appearance of a brown ring at the interface
of solution after the addition of 1 ml of concentrated
H2SO4 established the presence of cardiac glycosides.
Presence of avonoid was conrmed by the appearance
of yellow colour in a solution of 1 ml of plant extract
and few drops of 1% AlCl3 solution.
Phenolic content of plant was detected when 0.5 g
of plant extract dissolved in water, mixed with a few
drops of 5% FeCl3 solution, appearance of a dark green
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March-April 2017 Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 214
colour indicated the presence of phenolic compounds.
For phlobatannin detection, 50 mg of extract was boiled
in 1% HCl and deposition of a red precipitate indicated
its presence. The presence of free reducing sugars
was detected by the appearance of a red precipitate in
a solution of 2 ml of plant extract (50 mg/ml) when
mixed with equal volumes of Fehling’s solution A and
B. Saponins were detected by boiling 50 mg extract
with 10 ml distilled water, ltered and was mixed with
distilled water and shaken vigorously until a stable
persistent froth is obtained. The frothing was mixed
with 2 to 3 drops of olive oil and shaken vigorously.
The formation of emulsion indicated the presence of
saponins. Presence of tannins was detected by boiling
50 mg plant extract with 5 ml of distilled H2O, and
addition of a few drops of 1% AlCl3 turned the solution
into blue-black or blue green colour. Presence of
terpenoids was conrmed by mixing 5 ml (1 mg/ml)
of extract with 2 ml of chloroform and 3 ml of H2SO4.
A reddish brown colour at the interface conrmed the
presence of terpenoids.
Quantitative phytochemical study:
The presence of total carbohydrate content in the
plant extract was estimated following the anthrone
method[23]. Results were expressed as µg sugar/mg
crude extract using the calibration curve of glucose
(y=0.0017x; R2=0.9996). The protein content of the
plant was estimated following Lowry’s method[24].
Results were expressed as µg protein/mg plant extract
using the calibration curve of BSA (y=0.0061x;
R2=0.9968). The vitamin-C content was estimated
titrimetrically[23]. Briey, 1 ml of 1 mg/ml of AA
solution in 4% oxalic acid and the plant extract was
taken in separate conical asks and 10 ml of 4% oxalic
acid was added in each ask. The mixture was then
titrated against 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol till the
end-point colour pink was observed and the amount
of dye consumed was noted. Results expressed as µg
ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/mg crude extract.
The total phenolic content (TPC) of H. heteroclita is
estimated by Swin and Hills with slight modication[25,26].
Briey, 1 ml of plant extracts (200 µg/ml) was mixed
with 3 ml of 10% Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and 0.5
ml of sodium carbonate (10% w/v). The mixture was
vortexed for 15 s and incubated at 40° for 30 min for
colour development. The absorbance was measured
at 765 nm. The amount of TPC was calculated from a
calibration curve of gallic acid (y=0.0161x; R2=0.9963)
and the results expressed as mg gallic acid equivalent
(GAE)/mg crude extract.
The avonoid content was determined by mixing 1
ml of plant extract (two concentrations 0.25 and 0.5
mg/ml, prepared in 80% ethanol) with 0.5 ml of 2%
AlCl3 (prepared in 80% ethanol). The assay mixture
was made 3 ml by adding distilled water. The mixture
was incubated at room temperature for 30 min and
the formation of yellow colour was measured at 430
nm[27]. The total avonoid content was calculated from
the standard curve (y=0.01x; R2=0.9786) of quercetin
(concentration 5-25 µg/ml) and the values represented
as µg quercetin equivalent (QE)/mg of crude extract.
Total antioxidant activity (phosphomolybdate
assay):
The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the plant extract
was estimated following phosphomolybdate assay[28].
TABLE 1: INSTRUMENTAL ANALYTICAL CONDITIONS OF AAS VARIO-6 GRAPHITE FURNACE ELEMENTS
INSTRUMENT
Element Wavelength (nm) Slit width
(nm)
Atomisation
temperature (°)
Matrix modiers Interference wavelength
(nm)
Cr 357.9 0.8 2100-2200 NH4H2PO4Fe 358.1, Nb 358.0
Mn 279.5 0.2 1600-1650 Mg(NO3)2+Pd(NO3)2Mg 279.5, Fe 279.5,
Pb 280.2
Fe 248.3 0.2 1850-2050 Mg(NO3)2--
Cu 324.8 0.8 1800-1900 -- Ni 324.3, Mn 324.9,
Pd 324.3, Ag 324.8,
Eu 324.8
Zn 213.9 0.8 1000-1100 Pd(NO3)2Cu 213.9, Te 214.3,
As 214.4, Fe 213.6,
Fe 213.9
Cd 228.8 0.8 900-1200 NH4H2PO4+Mg(NO3)2As 228.9, Fe 228.8
Pb 217 0.5 1200-1350 Pd(NO3)2+Mg(NO3)2Cu 216.5, Fe 216.7,
Ni 216.6, Sb 217.6,
Pt 216.5
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One millilitre of the extract (500 µg/ml) was mixed
with 1 ml distilled water and 1 ml reagent solution (600
mM sulphuric acid, 28 mM sodium phosphate, and 4
mM ammonium molybdate). The reaction mixture
was incubated at 95° for 30 min and absorbance was
measured at 695 nm against blank solution. TAC was
expressed as µg AAE/mg plant extract.
DPPH radical scavenging activity:
The DPPH scavenging activity of the extract was
estimated by mixing 2 ml of DPPH reagent (0.135 mM,
prepared in methanol) with 1 ml of AA and 1 ml plant
extracts (25-500 µg/ml). After 30 min of incubation at
room temperature decrease in absorbance was observed
at 517 nm[29]. The scavenging activity of plant extract
was calculated using Eqn., DPPH scavenging activity
(%) = (Abs control–Abs sample/Abs control)×100,
where, Abs control is the absorbance of DPPH and
methanol, Abs sample is the absorbance of DPPH and
plant extract or AA.
Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP
assay):
One millilitre of AA (5-100 µg/ml) and plant extract
(25-500 µg/ml) was mixed with 2 ml of FRAP reagent,
which is a mixture of 10 ml acetate buffer (pH 3.6),
1 ml of 10 mM TPTZ solution in 40 mM HCl and 1
ml of 20 mM FeCl3. After 30 min of incubation at 50°
the absorbance was measured at 593 nm. The FRAP
activity of plant extracts were compared with that of
the standard AA[30].
Lipid peroxidation scavenging activity assay
(TBARS assay):
TBARS assay was done to measure the lipid peroxide
formation using egg yolk homogenate as lipid-rich
media[31]. Lipid peroxidation was induced in 0.1 ml
of egg homogenate (10% v/v) by adding 1 ml plant
extract/standard (concentration range 0.05-1.0 mg/
ml) and 0.05 ml of 75 mM FeSO4. The mixture was
incubated for 30 min at 37°. Then, 1 ml each of 10%
TCA and 0.8% (w/v) TBA in 1.1% SDS was added
and the resulting mixture vortexed and heated for 1
h at 95°. After cooling, 3 ml of butanol was added to
each tube and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min. The
absorbance of the organic upper layer was measured
at 532 nm. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation (%) by the
extract was calculated using Eqn., percent inhibition
= (Abs control–Abs sample/Abs control)×100, where,
Abs control is the absorbance of the reaction mixture
without the sample or standard, Abs sample is the
absorbance of reaction mixture with sample/standard.
Statistical analysis:
All data are presented as mean±standard deviation (SD)
for at least three replications for each experiment. The
results are considered to be signicant at P<0.05. All
statistical analysis was performed in MS-Excel and the
graphs were drawn using OriginPro8 software. Pearson
correlation was done using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The dry weight of the plant and its moisture content,
methanolic crude extract and heavy metal content
of H. heteroclita is shown in the g. 1. The present
study showed that the percentage moisture content,
dry weight and methanol extract recovered from 100
g of fresh fruit pulp were 86.72%, 13.27 g and 2.44 g,
respectively (g. 1a and b). The semi-solid plant extract
recovered was yellow in colour having strong bitter
taste and dissolved completely in water. Qualitative
study showed the presence of phytochemical contents
such as phenolics, avonoids, alkaloids, saponins,
90
80
70
10
0
50
40
30
20
10
0
12
10
8
2
0
Amount (g/100 g fresh weight)
Concentration (
µg/mg extract)
% Moisture % Dry material Plant extract TPC TFC Ascorbic acid Mg Zn Mn Pb Cu Fe Cr Cd
Recovary of methanolic crude extract Phytochemical contents Metals
Concentration (
mg/kg plant powder)
a b c
Fig. 1: Moisture, total phenolic and avonoid contents, trace heavy element of the plants
a) Moisture content and alcoholic extract of tested plant, b) total phenolic and avonoid contents and c) trace heavy element of the
plants
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March-April 2017 Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 216
glycosides etc. in the methanol extract of H. heteroclita.
The presence of high quantity of phytochemicals
including secondary metabolites such as phenolics and
avonoids, might contribute to the pharmacological
activity possessed by certain plants[32]. Flavonoids are
important secondary metabolites that exhibit medicinal
properties such as antioxidant, antiinammatory,
anticancer, antibacterial and antiviral activity[33].
Table 2 showed the phytochemical contents of the
tested plant. Qualitative analysis of H. heteroclita
revealed the presence of alkaloids, avonoids, phenol,
reducing sugar, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids
and cardiac glycosides while anthraquinone and
phlobatannins were found to be absent. In addition,
the present study revealed high concentrations of
carbohydrate, protein, vitamin C, TPC and TFC in
the plant (Table 3). Concentration of carbohydrate
was found to be highest 445.11±3.09 µg/mg extract
followed by protein 73.95±2.52 µg/mg extract.
Similarly, the concentrations of TPC, TFC and AA were
found to be 43.56±2.09, 6.51±0.51 and 24.46±1.13 µg/
mg extract, respectively (Table 3). Presence of high
concentration of carbohydrates and proteins indicate
high nutritional value of the plant. Vitamin C or AA is
an important biomolecule with free radical scavenging
property. Although most mammals can synthesize
AA, humans cannot, due to defective L-gulono-1,4-
lactone oxidase, the last enzyme in the AA biosynthetic
pathway. Therefore, humans need to obtain AA from
dietary sources[34]. Various phytochemical studies have
revealed the concentration of AA ranging from 8 to
1426 µg/g fresh weight[35].
The trace element contents in the fruit pulp of H.
heteroclita are given in the g. 1c. The different trace
elements such as Mg, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cu, Fe, Cr and
Cd estimated in the present study ranged from 0.011
to 11.48 mg/kg plant powder. Trace elements are
important molecules for normal functioning of many
biological systems. Normal functioning of many
proteins, enzymes, metabolic and catabolic activities
is regulated by the presence of trace elements. For
instance, Fe is an important trace element of biological
importance deciencies of which may lead to vital
physiological imbalances in the body. According to
WHO estimates, worldwide about 700 million people
are suffering from Fe deciency[36]. In the present
study, out of eight trace elements, Fe was found to
TABLE 2: PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF METHANOL EXTRACTS OF H. HETEROCLITA
Phytochemicals Reagents/chemicals Observation Results
Alkaloids Wagner's reagent Brown/red precipitate +
Flavonoids FeCl3Blue green colour +
Phenol Folin-Ciocalteu Blue green colour +
Reducing sugar Fehling’s solution Orange red precipitate +
Saponins Distilled water heating Frothing seen +
Steroids Liebermann-Burchard test Bluish green +
Tannins FeCl3Blue green precipitate +
Terpenoids CHCl3+H2SO4Reddish brown ring +
Anthraquinone C6H6+NH3Red, pink or violet colour -
Cardiac glycosides FeCl3+H2SO4Brown ring +
Phlobatannins HCl+boil Red precipitate -
Qualitative detection of phytochemicals with '+' means present and '-' means absent
TABLE 3: PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENT AND IC50 VALUES OF FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ASSAYS OF
METHANOL EXTRACT OF H. HETEROCLITA
Phytochemicals contents/IC50 values H. heteroclita Standard chemical
Carbohydrates (µg/mg extract) 445.11±3.09
Protein (µg/mg extract) 73.95±2.52
Vitamin-C (µg AAE/mg extract) 8.00±0.04
TPC (µg GAE/mg extract) 43.56±2.09
TFC (µg QE/mg extract) 6.51±0.51
TAA (µg AAE/mg extract) 24.46±1.13
DPPH, IC50 (µg) 1284.93±31.20 6.31±0.13*
TBARS, IC50
(µg) 431.16±36.37 100.17±3.07*
Values are expressed as mean±SD with three replications (n=3) for each experiments, *ascorbic acid as standard chemical
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March-April 2017
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
217
be highest (11.48±0.386 mg/kg dry plant powder),
while Mn showed lowest concentration (0.011±0.001
mg/kg) (g. 1c). Cu and Cr were present in high
concentration compared to other elements and the
values are 1.667±0.006 and 1.883±0.523 mg/kg
plant powder, respectively. Besides its signicant
biological importance, there are certain trace elements,
which are toxic leading to several diseases and health
complications[37]. A large number of researches have
investigated the toxicity and side effects of these
toxic elements. Among the heavy metals, Pb and Cd
were toxic to human even at very low concentrations.
According to the United States Pharmacopeia, Limits
for Nutritional Supplement, the accepted standard
toxicity levels of Pb and Cd for ingested products is
10.0 and 3.0 ppm, respectively. In the present study, the
fruit pulp of H. heteroclita was found to contain very
little concentration of Pb (0.534±0.107 mg/kg) and Cd
(0.015±0.002 mg/kg), which is much less as per the
toxicity level.
Free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species
(ROS) are atoms or group of atoms with unpaired
electrons that are generated in the body during normal
physiological conditions. ROS are harmful to the body
leading to diseases such as cancer and diabetes[38]. Our
body has an innate capacity of neutralizing those harmful
ROS called antioxidant capacity or property. However,
our innate antioxidant capacity to neutralize ROS is
limited to certain concentration of free radicals and
beyond that concentration our body fails to neutralize
ROS. Plants act as a source of antioxidant molecules
and can be used to boost our antioxidant capacity. In
the present study, the total antioxidant activity of H.
heteroclita was found to be 24.46±1.13 µg AAE/mg
extract (Table 3). Similarly, DPPH, TBARS and FRAP
assay of antioxidant activity revealed concentration-
dependent activity of H. heteroclita (g. 2). Increase
in plant extract showed increased antioxidant activity
with R2=0.9909 and R2=0.9947 for DPPH and TBARS,
respectively. FRAP result also showed good relation
between extract concentration and peroxidation
activity (R2=0.8338). The IC50 values of DPPH and
TBARS assay is found to be 1284.93±31.20 µg/ml
and 431.16±36.37 µg/ml, respectively. Standard AA
showed better antioxidant property with IC50 values
of 6.31±0.13 and 100.17±3.07 µg/ml for DPPH and
TBARS, respectively. The presence of phytochemical
contents, mainly TPC, TFC and AA showed strong
Fig. 2: DPPH, TBARS, FRAP activity of the methanolic crude extract of H. heteroclita
a) DPPH radical scavenging activity, b) TBARS activity and c) FRAP activity of the methanolic crude extract of H. heteroclita. All
values are signicantly different at P<0.05 compared to ascorbic acid. -●- Ascorbis acid, -●- H. heteroclita, -●- H. heteroclita
100
98
96
94
92
90
20
10
0
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0 100 200 300 400 500
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Concentration (µg)
Concentration (µg) Concentration of standard/plant extract (µg)
% Inhibition
% Inhibition
Absorbance at 593 nm
(a)
(b) (c)
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March-April 2017 Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 218
correlation with the antioxidant activity of the plant
(Table 4). All the phytochemical contents viz. TPC,
TFC and AA showed good correlation (P<0.05) with
antioxidant capacity (TAA, DPPH and TBARS) of
the plant extracts. The high content of phytochemicals
appeared to have been responsible for the high
antioxidant capacity of the plant. In many reports,
high lipid peroxidation activity possessed by plant
extracts could be correlated with high phenolic content
and number of hydroxyl group in the compounds[39].
Similar to the present investigation, a large number
of reports also showed increasing trend of reducing
power activity with increase of plant concentrations[40].
Therefore, the reducing capacity of the plant extracts
may function as an indicator of potential antioxidant
capacity of the plant.
The presence of phytochemicals such as phenolics,
alkaloids, avonoids, steroids and saponins in H.
heteroclita provide a reason why the plant possessed
biological activities that are of pharmacological
signicance. The presence of high phenolic, avonoid
compounds and vitamin C contents could be attributed
to its pharmacological activity associated with free
radical scavenging activity. Furthermore, evaluation
of total antioxidant activity, DPPH, FRAP and TBARS
also indicated the high potential of scavenging free
radicals by the plant extract. The trace element content
of H. heteroclita has also been found within the
permissible limits from the studies. The present data
would certainly help to ascertain the potency of the
tested part of the plant for medicinal use and functional
food and nutraceutical applications. Therefore,
further investigations are needed for the isolation and
identication of the active components of the plant and
also to elucidate the mechanism of action responsible
for the biological activity and antioxidant activities as
well.
Acknowledgments:
Authors thank the Head, Department of Zoology,
Bodoland University for providing necessary facilities
to carry out the work. We are also grateful to the
Heads of SAIF, NEHU, Shillong, Department of
Biotechnology, Bodoland University and Department
of Food Processing and Technology, Central Institute of
Technology, Kokrajhar, for providing instrumentation
facilities. We also thank Dr. Sanjib Baruah, Department
of Botany, Bodoland University for identifying the
plant material.
Conict of interests:
Authors declare no conict of interests.
Financial support and sponsorship:
Nil.
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TABLE 4: PEARSON CORRELATION OF THE DIFFERENT IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ASSAYS OF H.
HETEROCLITA
AA TPC TFC TA A DPPH TBARS
AA 1
TPC 0.986 1
TFC 0.990 1.000 1
TAA 0.997 0.969 0.975 1
DPPH 0.984 1.000 0.999 0.966 1
TBARS 0.898 0.959 0.952 0.859 0.962 1
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