International Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation, 2022, 12, 4, 423-429.
DOI: 10.5530/ijpi.2022.4.73
Published: October 2022
Type: Original Article
Authors:
Anushya Sankar
Department of Botany, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, INDIA
Shanthi Periyasamy
Department of Botany, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, INDIA
Sownthariya Chandrabalan
Department of Botany, Holy Cross College (Autonomous), (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, INDIA.
ABSTRACT
Background: Morinda umbellata L., commonly called as ‘Manjanatti Kodi’ in Tamilnadu, India, is a rare traditional medicinal plant. The study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant potentiality, phytochemical profiling and elemental mineral analysis of M. umbellata leaves. Materials and Methods: Antioxidant activity was estimated for hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and aqueous leaf extracts by DPPH method; identification of phytocompounds by Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and elemental mineral estimation by Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) analysis. Results: Antioxidant activity was determined in all the extracts studied, where the maximum 50% inhibitory concentration was registered in ethanolic (17.92±0.04 μg/ ml) and methanolic (19.35±0.60 μg/ml) extracts which was four times higher than standard ascorbic acid. About 19 phytocompounds were found in antioxidant rich ethanolic leaf extract by GC-MS analysis. Among the identified phytocompounds, 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, diethyl ester with a percent area of 94.98%, Guanosine (0.79%), Hexadecanic acid (0.72%), phytol (0.47%) were found to be predominant. The elemental mineral analysis is the first-hand report, that revealed essential elements such as Fe (5.65±0.58 ppm), Zn (0.74±0.05 ppm), Mn (0.46±0.04 ppm), and trace amounts of following non-essential elements (heavy metals) Cu (0.87±0.05 ppm), As (0.002±0.00 ppm), Cd (0.08±0.01 ppm), Pb (0.03±0.00 ppm), Hg (BDL). Conclusion: M. umbellata leaves were proved to possess strong antioxidant property due to an inclusive source of important bioactive components. It was also found to be non-toxic and the plant is a right choice for drug development. Hence, the present outcome provided a reliable scientific frame work, for the exploration of bioactive potentiality with pharmaceutical importance in future studies.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity, GC-MS, Elemental analysis, Morinda umbellata, Traditional medicinal plant