Antioxidant Activities of the Chloroform Extract of Solanum trilobatum

Abstract

A chloroform extract from the anticancer herb Solanum trilobatum (CST) (Nadkarni, 1979) was analyzed and compared with reference antioxidants for its in vitro antioxidative properties such as scavenging of α,α-diphenyl-β-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radicals, protection to deoxyribose degradation, reducing power, as well as inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of CST by silica gel thin-layer chromatography showed the presence of simple phenols, phenolic acids, isoflavones, xanthones, and lignans. The antioxidative effect of CST was found to be concentration dependent to a certain extent and then leveled off with further increase in concentration. The IC₅₀ for each antioxidative reaction studied was calculated. When compared to the reference antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), CST exhibited less scavenging effect on DPPH radicals and reducing power but a better superoxide radical scavenging effect. From a comparison of the hydroxyl radical scavenging effect of CST with catechin, it seemed that CST was four-times more effective than catechin. CST was also able to prevent the formation of ·OH-induced malondialdehyde (MDA) in rat liver homogenate.

Keywords: :

• Antioxidant
• degradation
• deoxyribose
• DPPH
• lipid peroxidation
• malondialdehyde
• Solanum trilobatum
• superoxide radicals