Himadri Shekhar Paul

The present study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activities of methanolic extract of Passiflora nepalensis Smith. (Passifloraceae) ripe fruits in various systems. The free radical scavenging potential was studied by using different antioxidants models of screening using vitamin C (5mM) as standard. About 200, 400, 600 & 800 μg/ml methanolic extract inhibited the FeSO4 induced lipid peroxidation in a dose dependent manner and showed IC50 value 510 ± 2.59μg/ml. The methanolic fraction at 800 μg/ml exhibited significant antioxidant activity in ferrous sulphate induced lipid peroxidation and Superoxide scavenging models with simultaneous improvement in hepatic glutathione (10.22 ± 0.2333µg GSH/mg of wet tissue) and catalase levels (136.27 ± 0.4867µM of H2O2 consumed /min/mg tissue) compared to standard group. The results suggest that the methanolic extract of Passiflora nepalensis Smith. Fruits play an important role in the modulation of oxidative stress. Key Words: Passiflora nepalensis Smith. Antioxidant activity, Lipid peroxidation, Ripe Fruit Extract.