Preliminary phytochemical screening and antioxidant activity of petroleum-ether and hydroalcoholic extracts of the leaves of strobilanthes barbatus.

Strobilanthes barbatuscommonly known as Suruli mammuni belonging to the family acanthaceae is found in the hills in tropical Asia of which 150 speciesof this familyare distributed in the Indian subcontinent.The important characteristic feature of members in this family is that they show a phenomenon called MASTINGie.synchronous production of seed at long intervals by a population of plants. Strict masting only occurs in species that are monocarpic in which individuals of the species only reproduce once during their life time, and then die. The extraction was carried out by cold extraction using two solvents such as petroleum-etherand hydro alcohol according to the increasing order of polarity. The qualitative phyto-chemical screening showed the presence of Phytosterols,triterpenoids and saponinsin petroleum-ether extract andSaponinsand tanninsin hydro alcoholic extract. Antioxidant study was performed byDPPH methodand Nitric Oxide scavenging method in the above two extracts and comparative study was also done. The study was performed by taking various concentrations of the two extracts ranging from 12.5, 25, 50,100,200µg/ml.The results showed a positive response as compared with the standard ascorbic acid. The comparative study of antioxidant activity in the two extracts shows that petroleum–ether extract shows better antioxidant activity than hydro alcoholic extract.