QUANTITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY STUDIES IN ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF AZOLLA MICROPHYLLA

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Objective: The study was intended to analyze phytochemicals quantitatively, evaluate in vitro antioxidant properties and to determine the bioactive
compounds in the crude extract of Azolla microphylla (AM) available at the local farms of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu.
Methods: The quantitative phytochemical and in vitro antioxidant analyses were performed using standard procedures. The bioactive compounds
were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument.
Results: The quantitative phytochemical analysis of AM revealed the presence of considerable amounts of phenols (90.2±2.85 mg gallic acid
equivalents/g), tannins (82.2±5.25 mg tannic acid equivalents/g), flavonoids (58.5±1.87 mg quercetin equivalents/g), saponins (12.1±3.78 mg/g),
and alkaloids (2.2±0.55 mg/g) in decreasing order of concentrations. The in vitro antioxidant analyses suggested that the whole plant extract of AM
has prominent antioxidant prospective against various free radicals such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothialozine-6sulphonicacid,
nitric oxide,
superoxide,
and ferric
ions
while
ascorbic
acid being the
standard
antioxidant
used.
The GC-MS analysis
displayed
the
presence
of
21 bioactive
compounds, each
belonging to
various
categories
of
phytochemicals
such
as chalcones, terpenoids,
fatty
acids,
coumarins,
and
steroids.
Conclusion: The results indicate that AM present in the local farms of Coimbatore is an effective scavenger of free radicals and has the potential to be
used as a natural antioxidant which is attributed to the rich presence of secondary metabolites.
Keywords: Azolla microphylla, Chalcones, Coumarins, Saponins.