Abstract

IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF HYDROCOTYLE JAVANICA THUNB (APIACEAE)

Krithika N.* and Arumugasamy K.

Abstract

The antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of whole plant methanolic extract of Hydrocotyle javanica Thunb. were evaluated by DPPH, hydroxyl radical scavenging, ABTS and SOD assays. Formalin induced paw edema (Hemamalini et al, 2010) on Wistar albino rats was followed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of H. javanica. The animals were divided into five groups (Group I- Control, Group II, III & IV plant extract, Group V- standard drug Indomethacin). The paw oedema diameter of the rats were measured by using vernier calliper. The methanol extract evinced higher antioxidant activities in all except DPPH assay with IC50 values of 38.26 in SOD, 38.16 in ABTS and 37.92 in hydroxyl radical scavenging assays.. A dose dependent decrease in edema with progression in time was observed. The percent inhibition after 180 min was highest (85.26) in the Group IV plant extract of 450 mg kg-1 treated rats as compared to the Group-V indomethacin treated rats (84.68). Similarly the paw oedema volume decreased significantly in the 450 mg kg-1 (20.84±1.18) of plant extract treated rats whereas the 150 mg kg-1 and 300 mg kg-1 of plant extract treated rats showed a higher paw oedema volume of 32.26±1.15 and 23.15±1.26 respectively as compared to the standard drug effect (21.65±1.34) at 180 min. The selected plant H. javanica is an ethnomedicinal herb with powerful antioxidant activities that may aid in various biological and pharmacological functions. The methanol extract evinced remarkable antioxidant and radical scavenging activities. Hence it can be proposed as a natural and potent antioxidant. The properties can be harnessed for anti-inflammatory drug development.

Keywords: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, Hydrocotyle javanica, wistar, formalin, drug.