Journal of Applied Biosciences (J. Appl. Biosci.) [ISSN 1997 - 5902]
Volume 17: 899 - 903. Published May 8, 2009.
Analysis of antioxidant activity in extracts of Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br
Ramesh Joshi^, Anshul Sharma and Bhanwar Lal Jat.
Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Government College, Kesar Ganj, Beawar Road, Ajmer 305001INDIA
^Corresponding author e- mail:
ABSTRACT
Objectives: To analyze total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant potential of the root and leaf extracts and latex of field grown as well as tissue cultured Calotropis procera plants.
Methodology and results: Six types of plant materials comprising of leaves, latex and roots from field grown as well as in vitro raised plants were tested to determine their antioxidant activity. Total phenols and flavonoids were determined by Follin Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride method, respectively. Free radical scavenging activity was determined by DPPH. Total phenols and flavonoids content were high in latex of field-grown plants and lowest in the extracts of in vitro roots and in vivo leaves. The highest antioxidant capacity was exhibited by extracts of lyophilized latex (IC50 = 0.060 mg.ml-1) and the lowest (IC50 = 0.27mg.ml-1) was in root extracts of field grown plants.
Conclusion and application of findings: Occurrence of more total phenols in the naturally growing Calotropis procera plants as compared to the in vitro raised plants suggests that the plants synthesize phenolic compounds under stress conditions in their natural habitat for defense purposes. The observations reported in this paper could be of applied value in utilization of latex, which showed strong antioxidant potential as this plant is growing wildly in the Indian desert. Many studies indicate that total phenols and flavonoids contribute significantly to the total antioxidant potential of many fruits and vegetables. Our findings add clarity to the available knowledge in this area of work.
Key words: Calotropis procera, antioxidant, DPPH
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