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Research Article - Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2017) Volume 7, Issue 63
Comparative Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Studies of Flower, Leaf and Stem Extracts of Butea monosperma
Background: Butea monosperma, known as Palas, is an Ayurvedic plant, and its various parts have been studied for their medicinal properties. Aim: To carry out a detailed pharmacognostic and phytochemical study of different extracts of flower, leaf and stem of Butea monosperma (BM). Materials and methods: Different plant parts (flowers, leaves, stem powder) were studied for their organoleptic, microscopic and physicochemical characteristics. Extraction of dried powder of different parts of BM, i.e. flowers, leaves and stem was carried out in succession with 3 solvents of increasing polarities, viz. alcohol, hydro-alcohol and water. Preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out on all the extracts using standard procedures. Thin layer chromatography was carried out to assess their qualitative nature. These were then tested quantitatively for their phenol, flavonoid and sterol contents. DPPH (2,2′- diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl) assay was employed to assess their antioxidant capacities. Based on the results of these studies, the selected extracts were chosen for FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant potential) assay, their anti-glycation and anti-inflammatory activity, and the assays were performed using standard methods. Results: The hydroalcoholic and alcoholic extracts of the flower possessed the maximum phenol and flavonoid content, respectively, along with the highest anti-glycation and anti-inflammatory activities, while the alcoholic extract of the stem showed maximum anti-oxidant properties. Conclusion: A detailed pharmacognostic study was performed on the three parts of BM. The hydroalcoholic and alcoholic extracts of the flower and the alcoholic extract of the stem proved to be the most effective extracts among all the extracts of the three plant parts in terms of their phytochemical constituents and their antioxidant, anti-glycation and anti-inflammatory activities.
Author(s): Ashlesha Vaidya, Nancy Pandita