Antioxidant activities of the methanol extract of Cardiospermum halicacabum

Abstract

Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn. (Sapindaceae) is a climber, commonly found as a weed throughout India, used as vegetable as well as traditional medicine for rheumatism, lumbago, and nervous diseases and as demulcent in orchitis and in dropsy. In the current study, we investigated the antioxidant potency of methanol extract of C. halicacabum (CHE) employing various established in vitro systems, such as the β-carotene-linoleate model system, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)/superoxide/nitric oxide radical scavenging, reducing power, and iron ion chelating activity. CHE showed noticeable inhibitory activity toward β-carotene-linoleate model system. Furthermore, CHE exhibited a moderate concentration-dependent inhibition of DPPH radical. The multiple antioxidant activity of CHE was evident as it also possessed reducing power, superoxide scavenging ability, nitric oxide scavenging activity, and also ferrous ion chelating potency. The data obtained in the in vitro models clearly establish the antioxidant potency of methanol extract of C. halicacabum. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.