Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION AND IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT SCREENING OF THE ENTIRE PLANT OF MOLLUGO CERVIANA LINN.

R. Valarmathi*, R. Senthamarai, S. Akilandeswari, M. Sivagamy and R. Saratha

ABSTRACT

Herbal medicines are effective in the treatment of various ailments
often these drugs are unscientifically exploited or improperly used.
Free radicals are chemical species possessing an unpaired electron that
can be considered as fragment of molecules and which are generally
extremely reactive and short lived. There is increasing evidence to
support the involvement of free radical reaction in several human
diseases. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that in
man, free radicals play a role in a variety of normal regulatory systems,
the deregulation of which may play an important role in inflammation.
Numbers of plants used anti-diabetic agents have been evaluated for
free radical scavenging activity. In order to further study their
protective activity in reducing the oxidative damage to pancreatic beta
cells and the complications of diabetes, it is worthwhile to study free radical scavenging
potential. The preliminary phytochemical studies show the presence of alkaloids, steroids,
Flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, saponins and glycosides. Hence, an effort has been made to
screen some of the indigenous medicinal plants having antidiabetic activity for its possible
antioxidant potential (in-vitro). In the in-vitro studies, in DPPH method, the percentage
inhibition of free radical scavenging activity of Mollugo cerviana showed significant activity
(84.12 ± 1.06%) and the percentage inhibition of nitric oxide scavenging activity was
significant (60.56 ± 2.74) in conclusion, the antioxidant activity of Mollugo cerviana extract
might be due to the presence of phenolic groups and triterpenoids.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Mollugo cerviana, Ascorbic acid, DPPH, Free Radical Scavenging Activity.