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ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIALS OF PARTHENIUM HYSTEROPHORUS L

LEAF EXTRACTS

Sankar Narayan Sinha*, Dipak Paul

ABSTRACT
Aim: Synthetic drugs are potentially toxic and are not free from side effects on the host. Therefore an
attempt has been made to study the antioxidant activity of plants. As plants and plant-based drugs are
less toxic and have acceptable side effects, hence in the present study the crude extracts of leaf of
Parthenium hysterophorus L were selected to study antioxidant activity. Methodology: The plant
extracts were prepared by using methanol and the activity was determined by DPPH and ABTS
scavenging assays. Results And Conclusion: It was found that this extract has considerable
antioxidant activity. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenolic
compounds, steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids and proteins along with other chemicals.

Key Words: Antioxidant activity, DPPH radical scavenging assay, Parthenium hysterophorus

INTRODUCTION
An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the reactions. When the chain reaction takes place
oxidation of other chemical substances. During in a cell, cells may be damaged or dead.
oxidation process transfers of electrons or Antioxidants inhibit and stop these chain
hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing reactions by removing intermediary free
agent occurs. Oxidation reactions can generate radicals, and terminate other oxidation
free radicals which later on can start chain reactions. They act by being oxidized
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 Scientific Research Journal of India ● Volume: 3, Issue: 2, Year: 2014

themselves, so usually antioxidants are this herb as an alternative of antimicrobial

reducing agents such as ascorbic acid, agents is still limited. Since Parthenium
polyphenols, thiols etc. hysterophorus are known with the herbs with
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are major free wide uses, this study therefore set out to assess
radicals generated in many redox processes, the antioxidant potentials and to determine the
which may cause oxidative damage to phytochemical constituents of methanol extract
biomolecules, including proteins, sugars, lipids of the leaves of this plant.
and DNA. Reactive oxygen species have an
impact on living cells, which help the Plant Description
1-7
pathogenesis of several chronic diseases . Parthenium hysterophorus is a much-branched,
The action of ROS is opposed by a balanced annual, erect herbaceous plant which forms a
system of antioxidant compounds produced in basal rosette of leaves during initial phase of
8-10
vivo . Endogenous antioxidants are growth. The height of the plant is 0.5-1.5 m,
insufficient, and dietary antioxidants are but can occasionally reach up to 2 m or more.
11
required to counter measure excess ROS . Mature hirsute stems are greenish and
Hence there has been an increased interest in longitudinally grooved and become much
the food industry and in preventive medicine in branched at maturity.
the development of “Natural antioxidants” from Leaves simple, petiolate of growth, lower
plant materials. leaves relatively large (3-30 cm long and 2-12
Parthenium hysterophorus Linn, also known as cm wide) and are deeply divided. Leaves on the
carrot grass, congress grass, chatak chandini. top branches decrease in size and are also less
This plant was accidently introduced in India as deeply divided than the lower leaves. Short,
contaminants in PL-480 wheat imported from stiff hairs are present in the lower surface of the
12
the USA in the 1950s . Plant used as an leaves, and to some extent upper surfaces.
analgesic in neuralgia, antipyretic tonic, Numerous small, white or creamy pedicellate
febrifuge and its root decoction was helpful in flowers are arranged in clusters (capitula).
amoebic dysentery. The leaf extracts have a Seeds are achenes, 1.5-2.5 mm long usually
role in the fertility, fecundity and behavioral with two or three small scales (a pappus)
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response . The whole plant possesses the produced in each flower-head (capitulum)
various pharmacological activities such as (Figure 1).
anticancer activity on A549 cell line 14, skeletal
15
muscle relaxant activity and hypoglycaemic
Taxonomic position of Parthenium
activity 16.
hysterophorus
Though the plant is regarded as the allergy
Kingdom: Plantae
causing agent and develop asthma, the study on
Order: Asterales

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Family: Asteraceae Phytochemical Screening

Genus: Parthenium The methanol extract of Parthenium

Species: P. hysterophorus hysterophorus was studied for their

phytoconstituents using different
phytochemical tests 17.
Antioxidant activity
1. Free radical-scavenging ability by the use
of a stable DPPH radical
The DPPH radical-scavenging activity was
determined using the method proposed by Yen
and Chen 18.

2. Free radical-scavenging ability by the use

of a stable ABTS radical cation
The free radical-scavenging activity was
determined by ABTS radical cation
Figure 1: Parthenium hysterophorus Linn decolourization assay . 19

MATERIAL AND METHODS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Collection of Plant Material
Results of phytochemical screening are shown
The fresh leaves of Parthenium hysterophorus
in Table 1. The leaves extract tested positive
Linn was collected from Kalyani, West Bengal
for flavonoids, tannins and phenolic
(India) in the month of July, 2012 and the plant
compounds in both aqueous and methanolic
was identified and authenticated.
extract. The methanolic leaves extract
contained alkaloids and proteins, whereas, the
Preparation of extracts
aqueous extract contained steroids and
For the preparation of methanolic extract, the
terpenoids.
leaves of Parthenium hysterophorus Linn was
Phenolic compounds are important
cleaned, air dried and grinded into coarse
phytoconstituents and have potential against
powder. 50 gm powder was packed into the
different disease because of their antioxidant
soxhlet extractor with methanol (170ml). The 20
properties . They are known to possess anti-
extract was concentrated and dried by using
diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, anti-
rotary evaporator and the extract was stored in
secretary, anti-spasmodic, antitumor activities
0
a refrigerator at 4 C. 21
and antiviral activities . Radical scavenging
via hydrogen atom donation by phenols is

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believed to be the predominant mechanism of antioxidant action.

Table 1: Qualitatively phytochemical analysis of Parthenium hysterophorus leaves extract

Test Reagents Observation Aqueous Methanolic

extract extract

Alkaloids Mayer’s reagent Creamy Negative Positive

precipitate

Steroids Conc. H2SO4 Reddish brown Positive Negative

precipitate

Terpenoids Chloroform + Reddish brown Positive Negative

Conc. H2SO4 interface

Flavonoids Alkaline reagent Yellow colour to Positive Positive

colourless

Saponins Water+shake Foam formation Negative Negative

Phenolic Alcohol+Ferric Bluish green Positive Positive

compounds chloride

Tannins Pb-acetate White Positive Positive

precipitate

Proteins Conc. HNO3+ Orange colour Negative Positive

40% NaOH

Carbohydrates Barfoed’s Reddish brown Positive Positive

reagent precipitate

Amino acids Ninhydrine Violet colour Positive Positive

reagent

Reducing sugar Benedict’s Red precipitate Positive Positive

reagent

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The scavenging the stable DPPH radical is a
widely used method to evaluate the free radical
22
scavenging ability of various samples which
can accommodate a large number of samples in
a short period of time and is sensitive enough to
detect natural compounds at low concentrations
so it was used in the present study for screening
of antioxidant activity. The present study
revealed that the radical- scavenging activities
of all the extracts increased with increasing
concentrations (Table 2).

Table 2: In vitro free radical scavenging activity of Parthenium hysterophorus leaves by DPPH method

Compounds % Scavenging IC50

20µg/ml 40µg/ml 60µg/ml 80µg/ml 100µg/ml

Standard 6.3±0.52 16.2±0.92 29.9±0.76 33.8±0.84 48.6±0.32 54.4±10.22

(Ascorbic acid)

Parthenium 8.2±0.74 17.4±0.45 33.8±0.98 40.9±0.68 54.5±1.20 60.2±14.09

hysterophorus
Linn

The ABTS scavenging assay, which employs a Parthenium hysterophorus extract was found to
specific absorbance (734 nm) at a wavelength be effective in scavenging radicals and the
remote from the visible region and requires a increase was concentration-dependent. At
minimum reaction time and may be used as an 100µg/ml, the inhibition of the extract was
index that reflects the antioxidant activity of the 93.2% (Table 3).
23
test samples . In the following table (Table 3),

Table 3: In vitro free radical scavenging activity of Parthenium hysterophorus leaves by ABTS method

Compounds % Scavenging IC50

20µg/ml 40µg/ml 60µg/ml 80µg/ml 100µg/ml

Standard 53.4±5.2 68.4±2.1 81.5±4.2 85.4±5.1 91.5±0.85 17.22±5.82

(Ascorbic acid)

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 Scientific Research Journal of India ● Volume: 3, Issue: 2, Year: 2014

Parthenium 45.8±3.8 56.2±6.01 68.8±2.4 78.6±3.05 93.2±0.72 33.6±10.6

hysterophorus
Linn

CONCLUSIONS plant can be exploited.

Methanolic extracts of P. hysterophorus L.
showed significant antioxidant activity as ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
compared to the ascorbic acid. This might be The authors are thankful to University of
due to the presence of bioactive elements and Kalyani, West Bengal, India for providing
phenolic constituents present in the extract. necessary facilities for doing this research.
Based on the significant results obtained in this Authors acknowledge the financial support
study, further work is required for isolation and received under the grant from DST PURSE,
purification of bioactive compounds so that New Delhi, India for this study.
novel antioxidant drugs from this medicinal

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CORRESPONDENCE
* Environmental Microbiology Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kalyani,
Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India; Email: sinhasn62@yahoo.co.in

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