In vitro antioxidant activity and HPTLC determination of n-hexane extract of Emilia sonchifolia (L.)DC.

The free radical scavenging activities of n-hexane extract of the whole plant of Emilia sonchifolia was evaluated by employing various in vitro assay systems like DPPH radical scavenging activity, superoxide radical scavenging activity and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity with IC50 values 180, 160 and 160 μg/ml respectively. The results of the study indicate that the n-hexane extract of the whole plant of Emilia sonchifolia possess a significant scavenging effect with increasing concentrations probably due to its antioxidant potential. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis in the n-hexane extract of Emilia sonchifolia showed the presence of terpenoids which probably may be responsible for the antioxidant activity. Thus, n-hexane extract of Emilia sonchifolia can be used potentially as a bioactive source of natural antioxidants due to the presence of terpenoids in it.