Munazir Mehmooda, Qureshi Rahmatullah, Munir Mubashrah
Department of Botany, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Murree Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Pak J Pharm Sci. 2015 Mar;28(2):535-9.
Leptadenia pyrotechnica is a desert plant and its unripe fruits are cooked as a vegetable. Besides, this plant is also used for treating various ailments by the dwellers, yet very little is known about its free radical scavenging activity. Methanolic extracts of aerial parts and roots of this plant were evaluated for their free radical scavenging activity through 2,2' diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and reducing power assays. Results revealed that there is strong free-radical scavenging activity lying in both parts comparable with synthetic antioxidant i.e. Butylated Hydroxy Anisole (BHA). The activity was found increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Root extracts showed significant DPPH• and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, whereas highest electron donating capacity was observed in aerial parts extracts (O.D. of 2.38) at a concentration of 100μg/ml. This research work will be helpful in the discovery of novel antioxidants from L. pyrotechnica that may replace synthetic antioxidants.
烟火木是一种沙漠植物，其未成熟的果实可作为蔬菜烹饪。此外，当地居民还用这种植物治疗各种疾病，但对其自由基清除活性却知之甚少。通过2,2'-二苯基-1-苦基肼基（DPPH•）清除、过氧化氢清除和还原能力测定，对该植物地上部分和根部的甲醇提取物的自由基清除活性进行了评估。结果表明，这两个部位都具有很强的自由基清除活性，可与合成抗氧化剂丁基羟基茴香醚（BHA）相媲美。活性呈浓度依赖性增加。根部提取物表现出显著的DPPH•和过氧化氢清除活性，而在浓度为100μg/ml时，地上部分提取物的最高供电子能力为2.38（光密度）。这项研究工作将有助于从烟火木中发现可替代合成抗氧化剂的新型抗氧化剂。
