IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CHROMOLAENA ODORATA (L.) KING & ROBINSON

Abstract

Free radicals result in number of human degenerative diseases affecting a wide variety of physiological functions such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, ischemia/reperfusion (l/R) injury, inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and pancreatitis), cancer, neurological diseases, hypertension. Antioxidants are an inhibitor of the process of oxidation, even at relatively small concentration and thus have diverse physiological role in the body. Antioxidant constituents of the plant material act as radical scavengers and helps in converting the radicals to less reactive species. The present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant effects of the ethanolic extract of Chromolaena odorata (L.) King & Robinson. In vitro methods of assessment were used to determine the scavenging activity of the extract on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide scavenging, reducing power, nitric oxide scavenging, 2,2´azinobis(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), hydroxyl radical, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and chelating ability of ethanolic extract of Chromolaena odorata. Generally the antioxidant activities of Chromolaena odorata ethanolic extract is comparable to that of butylated hydroxyanisole, mannitol, Ethylene-diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ascorbic acid to a certain extent. All the results of the invitro antioxidant assays reveal potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity of the leaves of Chromolaena odorata.