Study of Antioxidant Activity and Immune Stimulating Potency of the Ethnomedicinal Plant, Cassia alata (L.) Roxb

Abstract

Today there is renewed awareness of the value of natural resources, and this realization has led to carrying out tests for an increased utilization of wild plants as food and drug sources. Cassia alata (L.) Roxb. (Leguminosae family) is a medicinal plant, whose English names are Ringworm bush and Candelabra bush. It is a native plant of South America and can found widely in tropical region. Fresh or dried leaflet of Cassia alata has been used as folk medicines in many countries for treatment of constipation, stomach pain, and ringworm and skin disease. In present study, an attempt has been made to investigate the antioxidant potency and the immune stimulating property of this ethno medicinally important plant Cassia alata. Methanolic ext. of the leaves of C. alata was assayed for detg. the antioxidant compds. present in this plant. Estn. of total phenols, Vitamin-C, Vitamin-A, flavonoids, carotenoids and anthra quinones was done. DPPH radical scavenging activity of the methanolic ext. of leaves was also tested against a synthetic antioxidant, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). It is evident from the results that the plant Cassia alata possesses strong antioxidant activity, as it contains good quantity of antioxidant compds. like phenols, Vitamin-C, Vitamin-A, flavonoids, carotenoids and anthraquinone. In addn., it has very high DPPH radical scavenging activity in contrast to the synthetic antioxidant compd., BHT. The plant Cassia alata has strong immune-modulating or immune-stimulating potency, as evidenced by a steep rise in the total count of leukocytes with concomitant increasing in granulocyte: a granulocyte ratio as well as remarkable increase in the total no. of peritoneal macrophages in the rabbits treated with the aq. ext. of leaves of C. alata. Thus, the plant Cassia alata may extensively be used in therapeutic medicines as a resource of natural antioxidants and immune stimulating agent. [on SciFinder(R)]