Abstract

INVITRO CYTOTOXICITY, FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF Curcuma amada.

Vasundra Devi P.A* and Dr. Suja S

ABSTRACT

Medicinal plants have been identified and used throughout human history. They have the ability to synthesize a wide variety of chemical compounds that are used to perform important biological functions, and to defend against attack from predators such as insects, fungi and herbivorous mammals. They also mediate their effects on the human body through processes identical to those already well understood for the chemical compounds in conventional drugs. Mango ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) is a unique spice having morphological resemblance with ginger but imparts a raw mango flavour. The major chemical components include starch, phenolic acids, volatile oils, curcuminoids and terpenoids like difurocumenonol, amadannulen and amadaldehyde. The present study has been done to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity and to estimate the invitro antioxidant activities and cytotoxicity by MTT assay, Cell Viability Assay (Tryphan Blue Method) in the ethanol extract of rhizome of Curcuma amada. The results showed the rhizome’s ability to scavenge free radicals like Superoxide radical, Hydroxyl radical, Nitric oxide radical, DPPH radical and Lipid per oxidation inhibiting activity followed by Ferric reducing antioxidant power and Metal chelating activity and its cytotoxic activity at the concentration of 164.77µg/ml. From the results it was concluded that extract had good invitro cytotoxic activity, free radical scavenging ability and can be used as radical inhibitor or scavenger.

Keywords: Curcuma amada, invitro antioxidants, free radicals, invitro cytotoxicity.