ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND QUANTIFICATION OF TOTAL PHENOLIC AND FLAVANOID CONTENT OF SPHAERANTHUS AMARANTHOIDES

Plants are a good source of medicine. Sphaeranthus amaranthoides of Asteracea family was used to cure skin diseases, eczema, acne, dermatitis etc. the plant was reported to have wound healing, antidiarrhoeal, antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities, hepatoprotective effect, antidiabetic and antimutagenic activity. In the present study, antioxidant activity of the plant was determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH assay) and nitric oxide scavenging activity. The chloroform extract was found to have more free radical scavenging activity than the rest of the extracts. Ethyl acetate extract was found to show pronounced nitric oxide scavenging activity. The content of phenolics, flavanoids and tannins were determined in ethyl acetate, chloroform and methanol extract of the plant. Ethyl acetate extract was found to contain more phenolics, flavanoids and tannins.