EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING POTENTIAL OF STROBILANTHES LURIDA LEAF EXTRACTS

Abstract

The current study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity of leaf extracts of Strobilanthes lurida, belonging to the family Acanthaceae. The different solvent leaf extracts of S. lurida were subjected to DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, Nitric oxide, and reducing power assays.  Different solvent extracts exhibited assay-dependent antioxidant activity. Chloroform extract showed the strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, petroleum ether extract demonstrated the highest FRAP and nitric oxide scavenging activity, while ethyl acetate extract exhibited the highest reducing power at a concentration of 100 µg/ml. Chloroform extract showed the strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, petroleum ether extract demonstrated the highest FRAP and nitric oxide scavenging activity, while Different solvent extracts exhibited assay-dependent antioxidant activity. Chloroform extract showed the strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, petroleum ether extract demonstrated the highest FRAP and nitric oxide scavenging activity, while ethyl acetate extract exhibited the highest reducing power at a concentration of 100 µg/ml. This enhanced activity is attributed to their effectiveness in extracting a broad spectrum of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Aqueous extracts showed moderate antioxidant activity across assays, whereas the chloroform extract exhibited strong radical scavenging potential in DPPH and ABTS assays with their respective IC₅₀ values, indicating their limited ability to extract phenolic antioxidants. From the result, it can be concluded that these findings underscore the promising antioxidant potential of S. lurida extracts and provide a strong foundation for further phytochemical and pharmacological investigations.