Analysis of in vitro antioxidant activity of Caryota urens L.leaves:A traditional natural remedy

Objective:To estimate the antioxidant potentiality of crude ethanol extract(CEE),chloroform fraction(CLF),ethyl acetate fraction(EAF)and methanol fraction(MNF)of Caryota urens L.(C.urens)leaves.Methods:Antioxidant activity of C.urens leaves was determined by total antioxidant activity,2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay.Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were determined for phytochemical constituent’s characterization.Results:The CEE of the C.urens leaves showed the highest total antioxidant activity compared to CLF,EAF and MNF.In the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay and the hydroxyl radicalscavenging assay,CEE showed the highest scavenging activity(42.36%and 53.36%)having IC50 of 472.14 and 374.81μg/mL respectively with respect to other fractions.The ranking order of CEE,MNF,EAF and CLF for total phenolic content was 155.74>106.8>83.95>71.49 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract,respectively.Total flavonoid content was found to be the highest in the CEE(101.35 mg of quercetin equivalent/g of dried extract)rather than other fractions.Conclusions:This study recommended that CEE of C.urens leaves can be considered as a potential source of natural antioxidant and can be used against diseases linked with free radical mediated oxidative stress.