Evaluation of Antioxidant Potential of Stem and Leaf Extracts of Himalayan Tinospora cordifolia Hook.f. & Thomson

Abstract

Background: Medicinal plants are considered a rich source of ingredients, which can be used in drug development and synthesis. Tinospora cordifolia (Wild.) Hook.f. & Thomson, commonly known as guduchi, heart-leaved moonseed and giloya is a herbaceous vine of the family Menispermaceae, has several beneficial properties including antioxidant activity. Aim: The present study was carried out to analyze the antioxidant activity of leaf and stem extracts of Tinospora cordifolia by using DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2´-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) free radical scavenging assays. Materials and Methods: Dried and powdered leaves and stem of T. cordifolia were extracted with methanol. Ascorbic acid was taken as standard. Total phenolic content was estimated by using Folin-ciocalteu's reagent while total flavonoid content by aluminium chloride reagent to find the correlation of polyphenols with antioxidant activity. ABTS assay of methanolic leaf and stem extracts showed the highest scavenging activity as compared to the DPPH assay. Results: Methanolic stem extract showed higher phenolic and flavonoid content along with antioxidant activity as compared to the methanolic leaf extract. Conclusion: The stem extract exhibited more antioxidant activity than the leaf extract with regards to the all parameters analyzed.