Phytochemical Screening and In Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Ethnomedicinal Plant Hydrocotyle Javanica Thunb. (Apiaceae)

A therapeutic strategy to elevate the antioxidant defenses of the body in view of the oxidative stress implicated in the pathophysiologyof a wide variety of different diseasesmay attenuate and protect us from diseasesand disorders.Biological systems can be balanced by antioxidants that would suppress the formation of active oxygen species (ROS) brought about by reducing hydroperoxides (ROO•) and H2O2, and scavenging free radicals among others. An equilibriumbetween free radical generation and antioxidant supply is thus important. The ethnomedicinal plant H.javanica was evaluated for its radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. The whole plant was extracted in five different solvents and assessed by five different assay methods. 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. The petroleum ether extract had the highest activity in DPPH assay(IC50 24.13). These activities could be attributed to the presence of coumarins, flavonoids, phenols and tannins.