Evaluation of antioxidant properties and total Phenolic content of gardenia Gummifera linn

Gardenia gummifera Linn. of the family Rubiaceae has been considered as an important plant in the traditional Ayurveda. The Gardenia gummifera Linn. leaf was extracted serially by the solvents of increasing polarity (Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and ethanol). The present investigation was to examine the in vitro antioxidant potential of various extracts of leaf of Gardenia gummifera Linn. The antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, superoxide radical scavenging assay, reducing power assay, cerium (IV) amaranth dye assay, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Property (FRAP) assay and total antioxidant capacity. In all the assays, the ethanolic extract of Gardenia gummifera Linn. is more effective in free radical scavenging activity than that of other two extracts. So, the in vitro studies clearly showed that the ethanolic extract of Gardenia gummifera Linn. has significant antioxidant activity. The quantitative estimation showed that ethanolic extract contains higher phenolic content than the other extract