The powder samples and methanol extract of 11 medicinal plants were subjected to analysis of proximate composition and measurement of antioxidant activity. Different parameters studied include phenolic contents, moisture, ash, crude fiber, fats and waxes. The assays employed were ferric reducing antioxidant power, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and scavenging effect on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical. Results obtained indicate that the antioxidant potential varied significantly from plant to plant. The total phenolic contents were determined spectrophotometrically using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Significant correlation is observed between ferric reducing antioxidant power and phenolic contents (R2 = 0.96). These findings show that the polyphenolic constituents in the extracts are responsible for free radical scavenging capacity.

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The antioxidant activity of wheatgrass, which is consumed as a dietary supplement, was estimated at different levels. The methods employed include FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), ABTS (2,2'-azobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and DPPH (1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assays. Aqueous and ethanol extracts of wheatgrass grown under different conditions over a period of 6, 7, 8, 10 and 15 days were used. Lipid peroxidation and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) were determined and utilized to check the potency of a few selected extracts. Different conditions used for growth were (1) tap water, (2) tap water with nutrients, (3) soil and tap water, and (4) soil with nutrients. For comparison, a commercially available wheatgrass tablet was analysed. To explain the reasons behind the observed differences, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts were measured. These contents increased with growth under all the conditions. The ethanol extracts were found to have a higher phenolic and flavonoid content than the aqueous extracts. The highest FRAP values occurred on day 15 of growth under condition 4, the values being 0.463 and 0.573 mmol of ascorbic acid and Trolox equivalents/100 g fresh wheatgrass for aqueous and ethanol extracts, respectively. In the aqueous extracts no specific trend was observed with the DPPH assay for the different conditions nor for the growth period. In the case of ethanol extracts, however, it increased with the growth period and the wheatgrass grown in condition 4 was found to be the most effective. These extracts were also found to inhibit significantly ascorbate-Fe2+ induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver mitochondria. The ORAC values of aqueous and ethanol extracts of day 10 with condition 4 were found to be 39.9 and 48.2, respectively, being higher than those reported for many natural extracts or vegetables.

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