Abstract

PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF FLAX SEED AND ASSESMENT OF IT’S IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

Mahesh Bekal*, Suchetha Kumari and Sharmila KP.

ABSTRACT

Flax is the common name for a herb of the Linaceae Family. Clinical and large-scale population studies show that flax improves laxation, lowers blood cholesterol, aids in blood glucose control, and blocks inflammation. Because it has an anti-inflammatory effect [30,31,32] eating flax regularly may help prevent and treat chronic diseases in which inflammation plays a role – chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and Alzheimer disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of various phytochemicals from the aqueous extract of Flax seed (Linum usitatissimum) seeds. The seed extracts was found to contain glycerides, saponins, alkaloids and flavonoids. In this study,The Flax seed showed a significant increase (P<0.01) in the antioxidant power and reducing power ability. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the FS was found to be 52.65 ± 0.58%, whereas standard showed 93.70± 0.70% at 100 μg/ml concentration. Flax seed showed more than 50% antioxidant activity as that of the standard Elagic acid. Flavonoids are phenolic compounds and plant phenolics are a major group of compounds that act as primary antioxidants or free radical scavengers. Since these compounds were found to be present in the extract, it might be responsible for the potent antioxidant capacity of flax seed.

Keywords: Phytochemicals, Antioxidant activity, Flax seed, Flavonoids.