COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND POLYPHENOLIC CONTENT OF SUCCESSIVE EXTRACTS OF NYCTANTHES ARBOR-TRISTIS LINN.

Objective: Present work comprehensively evaluates the antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of four successive extracts of various parts of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn. at different concentrations using spectrophotometric assays. Methods: TPC and TFC were measured using Folin–Ciocalteu's and aluminium trichloride method, respectively. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity and 2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Relationship between free radical scavenging assays and phenolic compounds was deduced using correlation matrix between various study parameters. TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity was higher in methanolic extracts followed by aqueous, petroleum benzene and chloroform extracts. Results: Methanolic and aqueous extracts were found to have higher phenolic and flavonoid content. Antioxidant capacity of methanolic and aqueous extracts were greater than petroleum ether and chloroform extracts. Conclusion: The study suggests that to a certain extent, all extracts act as radical scavengers possibly due to presence of polyphenolic compounds. It was concluded that Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn. exhibit strong antioxidant activity and could serve as potential therapeutic plant for various diseases