<i style="">In vitro</i> antioxidant studies of <i style="">Sphaeranthus indicus </i>(Linn)

993-996The free radical scavenging potential of the plant S.indicus was studied by using different antioxidant models of screening. The ethanolic extract at 1000 g/ml showed maximum scavenging of the radical cation, 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) observed upto 41.99 % followed by the scavenging of the stable radical 1,1-diphenyl, 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) (33.27 %), superoxide dismutase (25.14 %) and nitric oxide radical (22.36 %) at the same concentration. However, the extract showed only moderate scavenging activity of iron chelation (14.2 %). Total antioxidant capacity of the extract was found to be 160.85 nmol/g ascorbic acid. The results justify the therapeutic applications of the plant in the indigenous system of medicine, augmenting its therapeutic value