flavonoids

The present study investigates the phytochemical profile of the bark of Parkinsonia aculeata and Rotula aquatica, two medicinal plants known for their traditional therapeutic applications. The bark samples were subjected to extraction using alcohol and water, followed by qualitative phytochemical screening to detect the presence of secondary metabolites. The extracts were evaluated for constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, carbohydrates, and saponins. The results confirmed the rich presence of flavonoids and phenolic compounds in both plants, supporting their ethnomedicinal relevance. These findings contribute to the standardization and quality control of these plants in herbal drug formulations.

Cochlospermum planchonii is a multipurpose traditional medicinal plant that is found in most tropical regions of the world. The objectives of this research were to identify the class and type of phytochemicals present, quantify the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and determine the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the plant leaves extract. This was achieved by extracting with two solvents of very different polarity (n-hexane and methanol). Harborne’s method was used for the identification of the class of phytochemicals while GC-MS was used to identify the type of phytochemicals. Folin-Ciocalteau method was used to determine the total phenolic content while aluminum colorimetric assay was used to determine the total flavonoid content. Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method was used for the antibacterial assay while DPPH was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity. The phytochemical screening showed presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids and glycosides while terpenoids, alkaloids and anthraquinones were absent in the methanol extract. Steroids and terpenoids were present in the n-hexane extract while saponins, alkaloids, anthraquinones and glycosides were absent. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents obtained were 97.48 ± 0.42 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g extract and 161.85 ± 0.37 mg quercetin equivalent/ g extract respectively. Several phytochemicals were identified using GC-MS. The most abundant in the methanol and n-hexane extracts was n-hexadecanoic acid (9.90%) and octacosane (24.24%) respectively. The observed DPPH scavenging activity was 66.73 ± 0.26% while extract reduced Fe3+ ferricyanide complex to the ferrous form (Fe2+). The methanol extract was active against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typii, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The leaves of Cochlospermum planchonii is rich in phenolics and flavonoids and possess high antioxidant activity. It also exhibits antibacterial activity against some human pathogens.

Phyllanthus emblica Linn commonly known as Indian gooseberry is one of the most important plants used in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. In the present study, the leaf methanol extract of P. emblica was studied against the carbohydrate metabolizing enzyme alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase. P. emblica leaf methanol extract showed a moderate α – amylase inhibitory activity (IC50 – 155. 10 ± 0.91µg/ml) and significantly high (P

Pulse crops, rich in flavonoids and polyphenolics possess not only free radical scavenging properties but also they are highly safe in the treatment of many diseases. Quantitative determination of phenols and flavonoids in seed coat, dehusked raw dal, dehusked cooked dal and whole seed of locally grown red lentil (Lens culinaris L.) was carried out using spectrophotometric methods. The amount of total phenols were analysed by using Folin-Ciocalteau assay and the amount of total flavonoids were analysed using aluminium chloride calorimetric assay. Gallic acid and catechin reagents were used as the standards For the calibration of phenols and flavonoids respectively. Hydrophillic and hydrophobic phenols were also estimated to confirm total phenolic composition. Orthodihydric phenols were analysed by Arnow’s method. Free radical scavenging efficiencies and antioxidant activities were analysed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) assay respectively. Among the four treatments, seed coat extract showed highest scavenging activity followed by whole seed, dehusked raw dal and lowest found in dehusked cooked dal extracts in terms of their EC50 values. The results from analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant properties varied among the different methanolic extracts significantly (p