In Vitro Antioxidant Potential of Semecarpus Anacardium L.

Summary Using Lipid peroxidation, DPPH and nitric oxide, Superoxide and Hydroxyl radical scavenging assay to investigate the antioxidant activity of crude ethyl acetate extract from the stem bark of Semecarpus anacardium L., it was found that the ethyl acetate extract exhibited a stronger antioxidant activity compared to the other (hexane, chloroform and methanol) extracts, where total phenolic content of ethyl acetate extract was highest with 68.67 % measured as pyrocatechol equivalent. On the basis of Lipid peroxidation, DPPH, nitric oxide and inhibition of superoxide anion radical scavenging assay, bioassay guided isolation of the ethyl acetate extract of S. anacardium stem bark was carried out by silica gel column chromatography. It afforded a bright-yellow solid crystal, which was identified as butein (1). This compound exhibited antioxidant activity (IC50 values of 43.28 ± 4.34 µg/ml) which was comparable to rutin, taken as a standard.