Extraction, Qualitative and Quantitative Determination of Secondary Metabolites of Coccinia Indica Fruits

In the last few years, there has been an exponential growth in the field of herbal medicine and gaining popularity both in developing and developed countries because of their natural origin and less side effects. Medicinal plants continue to be an important therapeutic aid for alleviating ailments of humankind. Coccinia Indica (C. indica, cucurbitaceae) is found in warmer and humid part of India. It is also known as Kundru, Bimbi, Lindora. The various extracts of fruit, root juice & leaves of the plant have been reported to be anti-diabetic, dysentery, vomiting, mouth ulcers and bronchitis, asthma and gastrointestinal disturbance. The phytochemicals of this plant include saponin, flavonoid, glycosides and polysaccharides, xyloglucan, taraxerol, carotenoids, cryptoxanthin. The aim of the present study is to examine C. indica fruits for phytochemical profile. Qualitative analysis of various phytochemical constituents and quantitative analysis of total phenolics and flavonoids were determined by the well-known test protocol available in the literature. Quantitative analysis of phenolic and flavonoids was carried out by Folins Ciocalteau reagent method and aluminium chloride method respectively. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, fixed oil and fats. The total phenolics content of fruits ethanolic extract was (4.3524 mg/100mg), followed by flavonoids (5.0900mg/100mg). The present study concluded that the crude extract of C. indica is a rich source of secondary phytoconstituents which impart significant antioxidant potential. This work also contributes significantly to support the claim about the use of this herb in folk medicines. Further investigation regarding isolation and purification of a number of phytoconstituents from fruits, leaves, stem, flowers and seeds of C. indica may yield optimal combinations of therapeutic alternates. Keywords: Coccinia indica, Qualitative analysis, Quantitative analysis, TPC, TFC, Folins Ciocaltea