DETERMINATION OF TOTAL FLAVONOID CONTENT, TOTAL POLYPHENOL CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF HOLARRHENA PUBESCENS

ABSTRACT Traditionally Holarrhena pubescens has been used as analgesic, antilithiasic, and antiseptic. It is used for the treatment of edema as well as for cystitis, gout, kidney stones, nephritis, and prostatitis. In the present study, the antioxidant properties of ethanol-water extract from H. pubescens were estimated by different methods. Also phenol and flavonoid content of the extract were measured by Folin Ciocalteu and AlCl 3 assays. H. pubescens extract contained a significant amount of phenol and flavonoids. The percentage of DPPH radical scavenged by extract was 92.6 at a concentration of 1.6 mg ml -1 . IC 50 of the extract and the standard compounds butylatedhydroxytoluene (BHA) and quercetin was 0.59, 0.053, and 0.025 mg ml -1 , respectively. Iron chelating activity of the extract was less than the standard compounds. H. pubescens extract showed nitric oxide-scavenging effect less than the reference agent (quercetin). The extract showed a high reducing ability. According to ferric thiocyanate (FTC) method, the extract showed more than88% inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation. It might be concluded that some of the properties of H. pubescens in traditional medicine is due to its antioxidant ability