IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF SELECTED APHRODISIAC MEDICINAL PLANTS

The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of six selected aphrodisiac medicinal plants. Useful parts of the selected medicinal plants were collected and extracted in methanolic solvent. The antioxidant activity of selected plant extract was determined through different antioxidant assays, namely DPPH radical scavenging assay and ferric reducing antioxidant assay. Moreover, antioxidant compounds, like total phenolics and total flavonoids contents, were also determined. Results showed that Mucuna pruriens seed extract displayed high contents of phenolic compounds with total phenolic content of 683.154 +/- 4.28 mg GAE/g dry plant material while the least phenolic content was observed in Asparagus racemosus (195.5 +/- 3.02 mg GAE/g dry plant material). Highest total flavonoids content was found in Anacyclus pyrethrum roots (156.58 +/- 4.01 mu g CE/g) and the least content was found in Asparagus racemosus roots. Among the studied plant extracts, the highest radical scavenging activity was shown by Mucuna pruriens seed extract (82.05 +/- 0.55 %) and the least percent scavenging activity was observed in Tribulus terrestris extract (36.40 +/- 2.01 %). Vitamin C was used as positive control for antioxidant assays showing 93.54 +/- 0.95% percent radical scavenging activity. The plant extract also exhibited a strong reducing potential against free radicals. Therefore, the present study concluded that all the studied medicinal plants possess varying concentrations of secondary active metabolites responsible for the antioxidant properties of the tested plant extracts.