IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF ALTERNANTHERA SESSILIS

The present study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of A. sessilis plant extracts in different solvents. The antioxidant activity was studied by phosphomolybdate method and DPPH method. In phosphomolybdate method the highest activity was shown by methanolic extract (12.044 mM of ascorbic acid eqvt/gm of sample). The highest radical scavenging activity by DPPH method was found in methanol extracts (IC50 587.093 mu g/ml). Ferrous chelating activity, superoxide radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide radical scavenging activity was found high in acetone, acetone and methanol extracts respectively. Total Flavonoids and crude phenolics were found to be 0.370 mg/gm dry wt. and 1.529 mg/gm dry wt. respectively. The antioxidant activity increases with increase in the concentration. This study indicates that A. sessilis is a potential source of natural antioxidant.