The current study was designed to investigate the leaf extracts of Vitex negundo Linn. for their antioxidant and enzyme
inhibitory (α-amylae and urease) activity. The antioxidant capacity of the different extracts (methanol, acetone and
aqueous) of this plant was evaluated by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and reducing power tests. The plant
exhibited good DPPH radical scavenging activity and moderate reducing power potential Further, all the extracts of V.
negundo were reported to possess good anti-alpha amylase and anti-urease activity of greater than 50% in all the solvents
used at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. Thus the study provided scientific evidence to the traditional uses of this plant in the
treatment of obesity, diabetes, ulcers, kidney stones etc. Therefore, the leaf extracts of this plant can be selected for further
investigation to determine their therapeutic potential.
Medicinal plants play a significant role in the health care of ancient and modern cultures. Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine mainly uses plant based formulations to treat various human diseases because they contain the components of therapeutic potential 1. Plant based drugs are an important source of therapeutic agents because of their abundant availability, relatively cheaper cost and non-toxic nature when compared to modern medicine 2 .The demand of medicinal plant products has been increased tremendously in recent years. More attention is being given to antioxidant property of plants and their associated health benefits. Many herbs contain antioxidant compounds which protects the cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. It has been reported that oxidative stress is one of the major causative factors in inducing many chronic and degenerative ailments including atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, immunosuppression and others 3. Oxidative process provides important routes for generating free radicals in foods, drugs and even in living systems 4. Free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), are atoms or group of atoms with unpaired electrons and can be formed when oxygen reacts with certain molecules. Free radicals are highly reactive, that's why they can initiate a chain reaction immediately once they are formed 5. They have the capability to disrupt cellular components such as DNA, proteins, and the cell membranes with whom they react. Free radicals accumulation is mainly responsible for human aging where the use of antioxidants can help to prevent the aging process by deterring the progression of free radicals. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed in vivo, such as superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical and H 2 O 2 are highly energetic and potentially damaging transient species. They are continuously produced in the human body, as they are necessary for energy supply, detoxification, chemical signalling and immune function. However, these free radicals produced by sunlight, ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, chemical reactions and various metabolic processes have a wide variety of pathological effects and the most notorious among them is Alzheimer's disease 6,7,8. Other neurodegenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress include multiple sclerosis, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and meningo-encephalitis. All these disorders are associated with significant increase in the specific and persistent lipid peroxidation marker F2-isoprostane 9 .
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