Antioxidant Activities of Ficus glomerata (moraceae) Leaf Gall Extracts

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Abstract
Pharmacognosy Research,2015,7,1,114-120.
Published:December 2014
Type:Original Article
Authors:
Author(s) affiliations:

Ravi Shankara Birur Eshwarappa1, Shanthi Iyer2, Sundara Rajan Subaramaihha3, S Austin Richard4, Bhadrapura Lakkappa Dhananjaya5

1Department of Chemistry, School of Graduate Studies, Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, Jain University, Bangalore; Research Unit in Vrukshayurveda, A Division of Centre for Advanced Studies in Biosciences, Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, Jain University, Bangalore; Post Graduate Department of Studies and Research in Biotechnology, Kuvempu University, Shankarghatta, India.

2Department of Life Science, Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, Jain University, Bangalore, India.

3Research Unit in Vrukshayurveda, A Division of Centre for Advanced Studies in Biosciences, Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, Jain University, Bangalore, India.

4Department of Biochemistry, University of Mysore, Mysore, India.

5Toxinology/Toxicology and Drug Discovery Unit, Center for Emerging Technologies, Jain University, Kanakpura Taluk, Ramanagara, Karnataka, India.

Abstract:

An excess production or decreased scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse metabolic disorders such as diabetes, cancer, atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration. Hence the antioxidant therapy has gained an utmost importance in the treatment of such diseases linked to free radicals. The medicinal properties of plants have been investigated and explored for their potent antioxidant activities to counteract metabolic disorders. This research highlights the chemical composition and antioxidant potential of leaf gall extracts (aqueous and methanol) of Ficus glomerata (F. glomerata), which is extensively used in the preparation of traditional medications to treat various metabolic diseases. The presences of phenolics, flavonoids, phytosterols, terpenoids and reducing sugars were identified in both the extracts. In comparison to the aqueous extract, the methanol extract had the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content at 370 ± 3.2 mg of gallic acid equivalent per gram of dry weight (mg GAE/g dw) and 155 ± 3.2 mg of quercetin equivalent per gram of dry weight (mg QUE/g dw), respectively. The antioxidant activities of leaf gall extracts were examined using diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Nitric oxide scavenging, hydroxyl scavenging and ferric reducing power (FRAP) methods. In all the methods, the methanolic extract showed higher antioxidant potential than the aqueous extract. A higher content of both total phenolics and flavonoids were found in the methanolic extract and the significantly high antioxidant activity can be positively correlated to the high content of total polyphenols/flavonoids of the methanol extract. The results of this study confirm the folklore use of F. glomerata leaf gall extracts as a natural antioxidant and justify its ethnobotanical use. Further, the results of antioxidant properties encourage the use of F. glomerata leaf gall extracts for medicinal health, functional food and nutraceuticals applications. Future work will be interesting in knowing the chemical composition and better understand the mechanism of action of the antioxidants present for development as drug for its therapeutic application.

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Free radical scavenging activity of aqueous and methanol extract of leaf galls of F. glomerata. ascorbic acid is included as positive control. Activity was measure by the scavenging of DPPH radicals and expressed as percent inhibition. Each value is expressed as the mean ± standard deviation

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