Antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Piper betel leaves

Received on:25-08-2008; Accepted on:09-01-2009 The present study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of Piper betel leaves by different methods like DPPH photometric assay, reductive ability, Deoxyribose degradation assay and Superoxide scavenging activ-ity. It belongs to the family Piperaceae used as ingredients in a chew commonly known as pan. Chemically piper betel containing chavi betel, chavicol, betel oil, terpene, sesquiterpene. Biologically Piper betel have broad spectrum activities like antifungal, antibacterial, antitumour, hypotensive, respiratory depressant, anthelmintic, cardiotonic and antifertility. PBLE showed strong antioxidant activities like reducing power, DPPH radical, superoxide anion scavenging and deoxyribose degradation activities when compared with different standards such as ascorbic acid, DMSO and BHT. Presumably, PBLE functions as an antioxidant to scavenge free radicals and reduces free radical induced cell injury