Phytochemical Investigation and Evaluation of Free Radical Scavenging Potential of Benincasa hispida Peel Extracts

Abstract

The crude extracts of Benincasa hispida i.e. Methanolic extract (M.E.) and aqueous extract (A.E.) were studied for the presence and detection of phytochemical such as alkaloids, saponins, steroids, carbohydrates and flavonoids using standard procedures. On the basis of the results, the extracts were further used for in vitro evaluation of antioxidant activity. The present study was designed to study the phytochemical screening and to investigate the free radical scavenging potential of aqueous and methanolic extract of dried ripe peels of Benincasa hispida. The free radical scavenging potential was evaluated by DPPH(1.1,-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl). The extracts showed significant potential in a dose dependant manner when compared with the ascorbic acid. The highest scavenging activity of ME was found to be 87.87% at a concentration of 100µg mL1 and that of aqueous 86.5% at concentration of 100 µg mL-1 . Thus both the ME and AE may be useful as a natural antioxidants in the near future.