Phytochemical content, antioxidant activity and reducing power of five ethnic medicinal plants of Manipur

Abstract

Phytochemical content, antioxidant activity and reducing power of five ethnic\rmedicinal plants of Manipur was analysed to study the antioxidant content commonly used by\rthe traditional healers for the treatment of different inflammatory diseases and ailments.\rAntioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of five medicinal plants was investigated by using\rDPPH method which ranged from 47.82±0.041 per cent to 72.62±0.08 per cent inhibition. The\rphytochemical contents like total alkaloids, total flavonoids, total phenol, total carotenoids\rcontent ranged from 5.95±0.01 to 16.11±0.01 mg caffeine /100g on dry weight, 34.95±0.02 to\r228.15±0.02 mg quercetin (QE)/100g on dry weight, 88.46±0.01 to 225.50±0.01 mg catechol\requivalents (CE)/100g on dry weight, 0.81±0.005 to 3.80±0.005 mg/100g, respectively. Pearson\rcorrelation revealed a positive correlation between total phenol content, total flavonoids content,\rtotal carotenoids content and free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) of five medicinal plants\rextracts. However a negative correlation was found between total alkaloids content and free\rradical scavenging activity of medicinal plants extracts. The reducing power five medicinal\rplants extracts was statistically significant and positively correlated with DPPH free radical\rscavenging activity (r = 0.651; p< 0.01). The study revealed that the plants with higher antioxidant\ractivity (DPPH) showed high absorbance. Higher absorbance indicates more reducing power.