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Phytochemical analysis and evaluation of antioxidant activities of hydro-

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 Veena Sharma et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(2),554-557
Research Article
ISSN: 0974-6943 Available online through
www.jpronline.info
Phytochemical analysis and evaluation of antioxidant activities of hydro-ethanolic extract of
Moringa oleifera Lam. Pods
Veena Sharma*, Ritu Paliwal, Pracheta and Sadhana Sharma
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University, Banasthali-304022, Rajasthan, India
Received on: 15-09-2010; Revised on: 18-10-2010; Accepted on:03-01-2011
ABSTRACT
The aim of present study is to investigate the phytochemical profile and antioxidant activities of pods of Moringa oleifera against free radicals using specific in vitro standard
procedures. The antioxidant activity of the Hydro-ethanolic extract of pods of Moringa oleifera was evaluated by free radical scavenging activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil
(DPPH), FRAP assay, reducing power assay, FTC, TBA and Non specific assay. The results of the assay were then compared with a natural antioxidant Quercitin, rutin, BHA and
BHT. On the basis of present investigation the extract showed high significance (p<0.001) as compared to standards. The extract of the pods of Moringa oleifera is a good source of
compounds with antioxidant properties while the extract also exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity, reducing power activity and Total antioxidant activity.

Key words: Moringa oleifera; Antioxidants; Flavonols; Tannins; FRAP.

INTRODUCTION

Moringa oleifera commonly known as (family: Moringaceae) horse radish tree or drum-
stick tree is both nutritional and medicinal with some useful minerals, vitamins, amino
acids, etc. 1. A native of the sub-Himalayan regions of North West India Moringa oleifera
is indigenous to many countries in Africa, Arabia, South East Asia, the Pacific, Caribbean
Islands and South America. Almost all the parts of this plant: root, bark, gum, leaf, fruit
(pods), flowers, seed and seed oil have been used for various ailments in the indigenous
medicine of South Asia, including the treatment of inflammation and infectious diseases
along with cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematological and hepatorenal disorders2.
Therefore, in recent years, considerable attention has been directed towards identification
of plants with antioxidant ability that may be used for human consumption3. Plants are
potential sources of natural antioxidants. It produces various antioxidative compounds to
counteract reactive oxygen species (ROS) in order to survive4. The most frequently
encountered free radicals are the hydroxyl radical (HO. ), the superoxide radical (O2.-), the
nitric oxide radical (NO.-) and the lipid peroxyl radical (LOO. ) while non-free radical
species principally being H2O2 and singled oxygen (1O2)5. Natural antioxidants present in
food of plant origin protect against these radicals and are therefore important tools in
obtaining and preserving good health6, 7. Strong epidemiological evidence suggests that
regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, which are a rich source of antioxidants, can
reduce cancer and coronary heart diseases 8, 9.
The free radicals are the main agents in lipid per oxidation 10. Antioxidants thus play an
important role of protecting the human body against damage by reactive oxygen species 11,
12. The antioxidants may mediate their effect by directly reacting with ROS, quenching
Deoxyribose were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. Ltd USA. Trichloroacetic acid
(TCA), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT), butylated hy-
droxyanisole (BHA), L-Ascorbic acid, ammonium molybdate, quercetin were purchased
from HI Media, Mumbai. DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) was purchased from Merck Co.
(Germany), Mumbai. All other unlabelled chemicals and reagents were of analytical grade
and used without further purification.
Extraction:
Dried powdered material was placed in the Soxhlet thimble with 80% ethanol in 500 ml
flat bottom flask. Further refluxed for 18 h. at 800C for two days. Collected solvent was
cooled and poured in a glass plate. The marc was dried in hot air oven (Mvtex, India)
below 500C for 48 h and kept in dissector for 2 days. The yield of the extract was 20.5%
w/w of powdered plant material for further exploration. Collected dried extract was stored
at 50C in air tight containers
Preliminary Phytochemical Screening:
Qualitative screening:
The freshly prepared ethanolic extract of plant (MOEE) was qualitatively tested for the
presence of chemical constituents. Phytochemical screening of extract was carried out
using the following reagents and chemicals according to the methods described 15.
Quantitative screening:

them and/or chelating the catalytic metal ions 13. Several synthetic antioxidants, e.g.,
BHA (butylated hydroxyl anisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxyl toluene) are commer-
cially available but are quite unsafe and their toxicity is a problem of concern 14. Natural
antioxidants, especially phenolic and flavonoids are safe and also bioactive.
Searching for herbs that have therapeutic potential for the prevention and scientifically
proven to be useful as an alternative treatment is needed. Thus, the aim of present study
is to investigate the phytochemical profile and antioxidant activitys of pods of Moringa
oleifera against free radicals using specific in vitro standard procedures so as to assess the
medicinal potential of the plant and justify its folklore use.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Sample:
The pods of Moringa oleifera (Gaertn) were collected from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Banasthali
University, Banasthali, Tonk district, Rajasthan, India. The plant material was taxonomi-
cally identified by Botanist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Banasthali, Tonk district. The
collected pods were shade dried and milled into coarse powder with an electrical grinder
and further passed through sieve-mesh 40 and stored in an air tight container at 250C.
Chemicals and reagents:
DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-1,2-picryl hydrazyl), TPTZ (2,4,6,-tripyridyl-s-triazine), Ferrozine,
*Corresponding author.
Veena Sharma
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Banasthali University, Banasthali-304022, Rajasthan, India
Tel.: + 91-1438228386
E-mail:veenasharma003@gmail.com
Determination of total Phenolics
The content of the total phenolic in plant extract is determined by Folin Ciocalteu
method16 spectrometrically. To 1 ml of Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent, previously diluted
(1:20), was added to 1 ml of samples (250 µg/ml) and mixed thoroughly. To the mixture,
4 ml of sodium carbonate (75 g/L) and 10 ml of distilled water were added and mixed well.
The mixture was allowed to stand for 2 h at room temperature. Contents were then
centrifuged at 2000 g for 5 min and the absorbance of the supernatant was taken at 760 nm.
A standard curve was obtained using various concentrations of gallic acid. Results were
expressed as percentage of gallic acid equivalents (GAE).
Determination of Total proanthocyanidins
Proanthocyanidins content was determined according to the procedure reported17. A vol-
ume of 0.5 ml of 0.1 mg/ml of extract solution was mixed with 3 ml of 4% vanillin-
methanol solution and 1.5 ml hydrochloric acid; the mixture was allowed to stand for 15
min. The absorbance was measured at 500 nm. Extract samples were evaluated at a final
concentration of 10 mg/ml. Total proanthocyanidin content were expressed as rutin
equivalents (mg/g).
Determination of Tannins
Tannin content was determined by Vanillin hydrochloride method18. Vanillin hydrochlo-
ride reagent was prepared by mixing equal volumes of 8% HCl in methanol and 4%
vanillin in methanol. A volume of 1.0 ml of 0.1 mg/ml of extract solution was mixed with
5 ml vanillin hydrochloride reagent; the mixture was allowed to stand for 20 min. The
absorbance was measured at 500 nm. Extract samples were evaluated at a final concentra-
tion of 1 mg/ml. Total tannin content were expressed as rutin equivalents (mg/g) using the
following equation based on calibration curve: y = ax + b, where x was the absorbance and
y was the rutin equivalent (mg/g).

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.4.Issue 2. February 2011 554-557

 Veena Sharma et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(2),554-557
Evaluation of Antioxidant assays: replicates. The data were subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and
differences between samples were determined by Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test
DPPH free radical scavenging activity using the SPSS 16.0 (Statistical program for Social Sciences) program. Results with
The free-radical scavenging activity of MO pod extract was measured by decrease in the p<0.05 were regarded as statistically significant and considered p<0.001 as very signifi-
absorbance of methanol solution of DPPH. A stock solution of DPPH (33 mg in 1 L) was cant.
prepared in methanol, which gave initial absorbance of 0.493, and 5ml of this stock
solution was added to 1 ml of MO pod extract solution at different concentrations (100- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
1000 µg/ml). After 30 min, absorbance was measured at 517 nm and compared with
standards (100-1000 µg/ml). Scavenging activity was expressed as the percentage inhibi- Preliminary phytochemical screening
tion calculated using the following formula: Phytochemical screening of the ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera pods revealed the
presence of various bioactive components of which alkaloid, phenolics, flavonoids, fla-
% Anti-radical activity = Control Abs – Sample Abs × 100 vonols, proanthocyanidins, terpenoids, tannin, and cardiac glycosides are the most promi-
Control absorbance nent and the result of phytochemical test is presented in Table 1. All these phytochemicals
possess good antioxidant activities and has been reported to exhibit multiple biological
Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). effects including anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities.
A modified method19 was adopted for the FRAP assay. The stock solutions included 300
mM acetate buffer (3.1 g CH3COONa and 16 ml CH3 COOH), pH 3.6, 10 mM TPTZ (2, Table 1. Qualitative analysis of the phytochemicals of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera
pods.
4, 6-tripyridyl-s-triazine) solution in 40 mM HCl, and 20 mM FeCl3 ·6H2O solution.
The fresh working solution was prepared by mixing 25 ml acetate buffer, 2.5 ml TPTZ, Phytochemicals Ethanolic extract(MOEE)
and 2.5 ml FeCl3 ·6H2O. The temperature of the solution was raised to 37°C before using.
Plant extract (150µl) were allowed to react with 2850 µl of the FRAP solution for 30 min Alkaloids ++
in the dark condition. Readings of the colored product (ferrous tripyridyltriazine complex) Saponins +
Phytosterols +
were at 593 nm. The standard curve was linear between 200 and 1000 µM FeSO4. Phenols +++
Results are expressed in µM Fe (II)/g dry mass and compared with that of BHT, BHA and Flavonoids ++
quercitin. Terpenoids +
Tannins ++
Determination of reducing power: Phlobatannins +
Cardiac Glycosides +
The reducing power assay was determined according to the method20 with little modifica- Proanthocyanidins ++
tion. Different concentrations of pod extract (100-1000 µg/ml) in 1ml of methanol were
mixed with phosphate buffer (2.5 ml, 0.2 M, pH 6.6) and potassium ferricyanide (2.5 ml, +++ Maximum Presence of the compound, ++ Morderate, + Least Presence; -Absence of the
1%). After the mixture was incubated at 50 °C for 20 min. Trichloroacetic acid (2.5 ml, compound.
10%) was added to each sample and centrifuged at 3000rpm for 10 min. A 2.5-ml aliquot
of the upper layer was mixed with distilled water (2.5 ml) and ferric chloride (0.5 ml, Total Phenolics,Proanthocyanidins and Tannin content
0.1%) was added and then the absorbance was measured at 700 nm against a blank which The observations made in the present investigation strongly suggest that phenolics are
consists of all the reagents without the tested sample and compared with standards. The important constituent of this plant and some of their pharmacological effects could be
increased absorbance indicated increased reducing power. attributed to the presence of these valuable constituents. The antioxidant activity of
Moringa oleifera is probably due to its phenolic content. It is well known that phenolic
Ferric thiocyanate (FTC) method compounds are constituents of many plants and they have attracted a great deal of public
The antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract (MOEE) of pods was determined according and scientific interest because of their health promoting effects as antioxidants. Table 2
to the FTC method21 with slightly modification. Four milligrammes of each extract shows total phenolic content of MOEE, determined in terms of gallic acid equivalents.
samples were dissolved in 4.0 ml ethanol (99.5 %) and kept in dark bottle (d = 40.0 mm, Total phenolic content (Fig.1.) was expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) using the
t = 75.0 mm). Each mixture were mixed with 4.1 ml linoleic acid (2.5% in ethanol
99.5%), 8.0 ml phosphate buffer (0.02 M, pH 7.0) and 3.9 ml distilled water to make up
the volume to 20.0 ml. BHT was used as a positive control while the another bottle Table 2: Polyphenol contents of the ethanolic extract of the pods of Moringa oleifera.
without sample was used as a negative control. The mixture was incubated at 40 – 45oC. Phenolics MOEE
After incubation, 9.7 ml ethanol (75 %) and 0.1 NH4SCN (30%, as a colour reagent) was
added to 0.1 ml of the mixture. Precisely 3 min after the addition of 0.1 ml of FeCl2 (0.002 Total phenolicsa 0.612 ± 0.244*
M) in HCl 3.5% to the reaction mixture, the absorbance of the resulting red colour was Proanthocyanidinsb 1.893 ± 0.156*
Tannins 0.755 ± 0.011*
measured at 500 nm using spectrophotometer (570455, Electronic corporation of India
limited) every 24 h until a day after the absorbance of the control reached maximum value a
Expressed as mg gallic acid/g of dry plant material.
(day seven). The percentage inhibition of lipid peroxidation was calculated as follows: b
Expressed as mg rutin/g of dry plant material.
% Inhibition = 100 – [(A1/Ao) X 100] Data are presented as the mean ± SD of each triplicate test.
Where Ao is the absorbance of the control reaction and A 1 is the absorbance in the presence *-P value<0.001 Vs standard group, Bonferrni test.
of the sample extracts22.

Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test Total Phenolic Content

The TBA test was conducted according to the combined method23. A milliliter of sample
from the previous FTC method was added with 2 ml of trichloroacetic acid and 2 ml of
Absorbance at 760 nm

thiobarbituric acid solution. This mixture was then placed in a boiling water bath at 1.4
100oC for 10 min. After cooling, it was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 20 min and absorbance 1.2
of the supernatant was then measured at 532 nm using UV-Vis spectrophotometer (570455, 1 G.A
Electronic corporation of India limited). 0.8 M.O
0.6
Metal chelating activity assay
0.4
The chelating activity of the extract for ferrous ions Fe2+ was measured according to the
0.2
method of J Sabate (2003). To 0.5 mL of extract, 1.6 mL of deionized water and 0.05 mL
of FeCl (2 mM) was added. After 30 s, 0.1 mL ferrozine (5 mM) was added. Ferrozine 0
reacted 2with the divalent iron to form stable magenta complex species that were very 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
2+
soluble in water. After 10 min at room temperature, the absorbance of the Fe –Ferrozine
2+ mg Gallic acid/g
complex was measured at 562 nm. The chelating activity of the extract for Fe was
calculated as:
Fig. 1. Total Phenolic content of MOEE and Gallic acid at various concentrations.
Chelating rate (%) = [(A0- A ) / A0 ] × 100
1
where A0 was the absorbance of the control (blank, without extract) and A1 was following equation based on the calibration curve: y = 0.151x, R2 = 0.869, for MOEE,
the absorbance in the presence of the extract. where x was the absorbance and y was the gallic acid equivalent (mg/g). On the basis of
the present investigation the extract showed high significance (p<0.001) as compared to
Statistical analysis standard. Table 2 shows total proanthocyanidin content of MOEE extract which were
The experimental results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) of three expressed in terms of rutin equivalents. Proanthocyanidins are a type of bioflavonoid that

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.4.Issue 2. February 2011 554-557

 Veena Sharma et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(2),554-557
has been shown to have very potent antioxidant activity. There was a good correlation
between the proanthocyanidin content and the DPPH assay (r= 0.998) of MOEE. Total
proanthocyanidin content (Fig.2.) was expressed as rutin equivalents (mg/g) using the
following equation based on the calibration curve: y = 7.181x, R2 = 0.993 for MOEE and
y = 0.826x, R2 = 0.018, for MOAE, where x was the absorbance and y is the rutin
equivalent (mg/g).
Total Proanthocyanidins content
0.5
Absorbance
Total antioxidant activity (FRAP)
The ability of plant extract to reduce ferric ions was determined in FRAP assay. The
change in absorbance at 593 nm owing to the formation of blue colored Fe+2 -
tripyridyltriiazine (TPTZ) compound from the colorless oxidized Fe+3 form by the action
of electron donating antioxidants25. The FRAP values of MOEE was significantly higher
as compared to the standard i.e. quercetin and BHT (1mg/ml). The respective values were
147µmol/g, 43µmol/g, 333µmol/g as mentioned in table 3. Since FRAP assay is easily
reproducible and linearly related to molar concentration of the antioxidant present it can
be reported that MOEE may act as free radical scavenger, capable of transforming reactive
free radical species into stable non radical products. The antioxidant potential of the
ethanolic extract of the pods of Moringa was estimated from their ability to reduce TPRZ-

0.4 Rutin Fe (III) complex to TPTZ-Fe (II) at 593 nm. Antioxidant activity increased proportion-
0.3 M.O ally with the polyphenol content.
0.2
0.1 Reducing Power Activity
Reducing power is to measure the reductive ability of antioxidant and it is evaluated by
0
the transformation of Fe3+ to Fe2+ by donating an electron, in the presence of the ethanolic
0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
extract of Moringa oleifera26. The reducing capacity of a compound may serve as a
mg rutin/g significant indicator of its potential antioxidant activity. The reductive capability of the
extract was compared with ascorbic acid and BHT. Increasing absorbance at 700nm
Fig.2.Total Proanthocyanidin content of MOEE and Rutin at different concentrations. indicated an increase in reductive ability (Table 3). The reducing power of the extract
(MOEE) and the standards increased with the increase in their concentration (0.1-1mg/
Total tannin content (Fig.3.) was expressed as rutin equivalents (mg/g) using the follow- ml). The result shows that the extract consisted of hydrophilic poly phenolic compounds
ing equation based on the calibration curve: y = 0.408x, R2 = 0.062 for MOEE, where x that cause the greater reducing power and therefore, can act as antioxidants. Our observa-
was the absorbance and y is the rutin equivalent (mg/g).On the basis of present investiga- tions indicate that there is a good correlation between the reducing activity and MOEE of
tion the extract showed high significance (p<0.001) as compared to standard. The results flavonol content (r = 0.932). From the results, it was evident that the extracts possess
from this study strongly suggest that phenolics are important component of the plant, and significant (p<0.001) reducing power as compared to standards.
some of their pharmacological effects could be attributed to the presence of these valuable
constituents. Ferric thiocyanate (FTC)
The FTC method measures the amount of peroxide value in the beginning of the lipid per
Total Tannin content oxidation, where ferric ion was formed upon reaction of peroxide with ferrous chloride.
The ferric ion will then unite with ammonium thiocyanate producing ferric thiocyanate, a
Absorbance at 500 nm

red-colored substance. The darker the color, the higher will be the absorbance. Results
2 shows that the sample had been oxidized when stored for seven days at 40-45oC.
1.5 Rutin Initially, the absorbance of MOEE was the lowest (0.246). After seven days storage,
M.O extract exhibited good effect in inhibiting linoleic acid oxidation compared to control.
1 The percentage of inhibition of linoleic acid of MOEE was 82.7%, with no significant
difference compared to BHT (P <0.05). The antioxidant activities also increased with
0.5
increasing the concentration of the MOEE (Figure 4) 27, 28. These phenolic compounds
may donate hydrogen and can terminate the free radical reaction chain by changing it to the
0
stable compounds29.
0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
mg/g FTC Activity

Fig. 3. Total Tannin content of MOEE and Rutin at various concentrations. 0.8
Absorbance at 532nm

0.7
DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity 0.6
DPPH assay is one of the most widely used methods and has become routine in establish- 0.5
ing the antioxidant activity of herbal extracts and phytochemicals. DPPH is known to MOEE
0.4
abstract labile hydrogen and the ability to scavenge the DPPH radical is related to the BHT
0.3
inhibition of lipid per oxidation24. DPPH radical was used as a substrate to evaluate free
0.2
radical scavenging activity of MOEE. There is reduction of DPPH concentration by
antioxidant, which decreases the optical absorbance of DPPH; this was detected by 0.1
spectrophotometer at 517 nm. BHT, ascorbic acid and BHA were used as standards All the 0
concentration of the extract (MOEE) demonstrated H-donor activity. Table 3 shows 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
comparisons of MOEE with ascorbic acid, BHA, and BHT. At concentration of 1mg/ml Storage time(days)
the scavenging activity of ethanolic extract was reached to 50.6%, while the ascorbic acid,
BHA and BHT at 1mg/ml concentration had 62.6%, 44.2% and 48.4% inhibition of free
radical. The DPPH Scavenging ability of the extract may be attributed to its hydrogen Figure 4: FTC activity of MOEE extract during 7 days storage.
donating ability and could serve as free radical inhibitors or scavengers, acting possibly Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test
as primary antioxidants. The extract showed significant scavenging activity (p<0.001) as FTC is used to measure the production of peroxide compound at the initial stage of
compared to standards. oxidation while TBA test is used to measure the secondary product of oxidation such as
aldehyde and ketone30. The TBA analysis of MOEE at seventh day storage is shown in
Table 3: Antioxidant activity of Moringa oleifera pod extracts Table 3. The absorbance of control sample obviously showed the highest reading (1.128).
The control sample was the highest absorbance reading in TBA after seven days storage.
Sample tested DPPH radical Reducing TBA FRAP Metal chelating
scavenging power activity (absorbance) (µmol (% Inhibition) This could be indicated that the amount of peroxidation was greater than that in secondary
activity (absorbance) Fe(??)/g stage. Secondary product such as malonaldehyde is not stable for a long period of time. It
(% inhibition) would be turned into alcohol and acid, which cannot be detected by a spectrophotometer31.

MOEE 50.6 ± 0.2* 0.058 0.082 147.0±0.05* 41.46±0.02* Metal chelating activity
Ascorbic acid 62.6 ± 0.4* 0.032 - - _
BHA 44.2 ± 1.6* - - - Ferrous ion can initiate lipid peroxidation by the Fenton reaction as well as accelerating
BHT 48.4 ± 2.2* 0.516 0.082 333.1±0.01* - peroxidation by decomposing lipid hydroperoxides into peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals.
Quercitin - - - 43.8±0.06* - The formation of the ferrozine– Fe2+ complex is interrupted in the MOEE, indicating its
EDTA - - - - 54.87±0.02* chelating activity and captures the ferrous ion before ferrozine. The absorbance of Fe2+–
Data are presented as the mean ± SD of each triplicate test. ferrozine complex is linearly decreased with the increasing concentration (0.1 to 1 mg/
*?P value<0.0 01 Vs standard group, Bonferrni test.

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.4.Issue 2. February 2011 554-557

 Veena Sharma et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(2),554-557
ml). The % of metal chelating capacity of MOEE and standard was found to be 41.46% 10. Cheeseman KH, Scater TF. Free Radical in Medicine. In British medical bulletin. Churchill
and 54.87% respectively (Table 3). Metal chelating capacity was significant as they livingstone, London, 2003, 49:479-724.
reduced the concentration of the catalyzing transition metal in lipid peroxidation. Though, 11. Lollinger J. Free Radical and food additives. Taylor and Francis London, 1981, 21.
12. Tutour BL. Antioxidative activities of algal extracts. Synergistic effect with vitamin E. Phytochem,
the MOEE showed less significant value as comparison to standard used for this study, 1990, 29:3759-3765.
even then MOEE has a marked capacity for iron binding, suggesting the presence of 13. Robak J, Marcinkiewicz E. Scavenging of reactive oxygen species as the mechanism of drug
polyphenol that has potent iron chelating capacity. action. Polish J Pharm, 1995, 47:89–98.
14. Hossain MB, Brunton NP, Barry-Ryan C, Martin-Diana AB, Wilkinson M. Antioxidant activity of
CONCLUSION spices extracts and phenolics in comparison to synthetic antioxidants. Rasayan J Chem, 2008,
4:751–756.
This research provides information, which could trigger further research in the direction of
15. Parekh J and Chanda SV. In vitro antimicrobial activity and phytochemical analysis of some
partial or full isolation and characterization of the constituents of pods extract of Moringa Indian medicinal plants. Turk J Biol, 2009, 31:53–58.
oleifera in order to decipher the specific phytochemical constituent(s) responsible for the 16. SingletonVL, Rossi JA. Colorimetry of total phenolic substances US: American Chemical Society
free radical scavenging activity of the plant. The present data suggest that the extract could Symposium series, 1965, 26:47-70.
be a potential source of natural antioxidant that could have great importance as therapeutic 17. Sabate, J . The contribution of vegetarian diets to health and disease: a paradigm shift. Am J Clin
agents in preventing or slowing the progress of ageing and age associated oxidative stress Nutr. 2003, 78, 502S–507S.
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Source of support: UGC ,India; Conflict of interest: None Declared

Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol.4.Issue 2. February 2011 554-557

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