Quantitative Determination of Free Radical Scavenging Activity and Anti-tumor Activity of Some Myanmar Herbal Plants

Antioxidant activities of ethanolic extracts of Ardisia japonica Blume., Ageartum conyzoides Linn., and Cocculus hirsutus Linn Diels. leaves was determined qualitatively and quantitatively in this research. 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical solution was used to investigate free radical scavenging activity of these leaves extracts. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) was used as the standard. In the present investigation, it is found that all of these extracts have remarkable antioxidant activities. The EC50 values of these ethanolic extracts were 12.72 μg/ml for A. japonica, 15.19 μg/ml for A. conyzoides, 10.68 μg/ml for C. hirsutus respectively. Among these Myanmar medicinal plants, C. hirsutus showed higher antioxidant activities as well as free radical scavenging activity than black tea (Camellia sinensis), the famous antioxidant, and A. japonica and A. conyzoides showed a rather lower antioxidant activity than tea extracts. According to results from bioassay with carrot discs infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, all extracts showed anti-tumor activity after 3 weeks of incubation. No gall was detected in carrot disks treated with C. hirsutus and A. japonica extracts in the dose of 100ppm and in carrot discs treated with A. conyzoides extract in the dose of 1000 ppm. Therefore, the research clearly indicates that these weedy plants of dry farm land are exceptionally advantageous for human health.

Authors:

• M. M. Mon
• S. S. Maw
• Z. K. Oo

Keywords:

• Antioxidant
• Anti-tumor activity
• Carrot-discbioassay
• DPPH

References:

[1] Anonymous, "The wealth of India, a dictionary of Indian raw materials
and industrial products", New Delhi, Raw Materials, Vol.1, (1948).
[2] T. J. Birdi, S. Brijesh, and P. G. Daswani, "Apporaches towards the
preclinical testing and standardization of medicinal plants", Foundation
for Medicinal Research, India, (2006).
[3] K. Soe, and T. M. Ngwe, "Medicinal plants of Myanmar, identification
and uses of some 100 commonly used species", Series 1, Published by
Forest Resource Environmental Development and Conservation
Association (FRDA), 1st editon, (2004).
[4] T. Hanto, H. Kagawa, T. Yasuhara, and T. Okuda, "Two new
flavonoids and other constituents in licorice root: their relative
astringency and radical scavenging effects", Chem. Pharm. Bull., 1988.
36: 1090-2097.
[5] H. zielinski, and H. Kozlowska, "Antioxidant activity and total
phenolics in selected cereal grains, their different morphological
fractions", J.Agri. Food Chem.48, 2008.
[6] P. Molyneux, "The use of the stable free radical diphenyl picryl
hydrazyl (DPPH) for estimating antioxidant activity", Songklanakarin
J Sci Technol.2004, 26(2):211-219.W.-K.
[7] M. Oktay, I. Gulein, and I. Kufreviolglu, "Determination in vitro
antioxidant activity of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed extracts,
Labenson-Wiss U. Technol.2003; 36:263-71
[8] N. C. Cook, S. Samman, "Flavonoids: chemistry, metabolism,
cardioprotective effects, and dietary sources". J. Nutr. Biochem.1996, 7,
66-76
[9] K. Marxen, K. H. Vanselow, S. Lippemeier, R. Hintze, A. Ruser, and U.
P. Hansen, "Determination of DPPH Radical Oxidation Caused by
Methanolic Extracts of Some Microalgal Species by Linear Regression
Analysis of Spectrophotometric Measurements", ISSN1424-8220
www.mdpi.org/sensors, 2007.
[10] R. Govindarajan, S. Rastogi, M. Vijayakumar, A. K. S. Rawat, A.
Shirwaikar, S. Mehrotra, and P. Pushpangadan, "Studies on antioxidant
activities of Desmodium gangeticum", Biol. Pharm. Bull. 26, 2003,
1424-1427.
[11] T. H. Tseng, E. S. Kao, C.Y, Chu, F. P. Chou, H.W. Lin Wu, C.J.
Wang, "Protective effects of dried flower extracts of Hibscus sabdariffa
L. against oxidative stress in rat primary hepatocytes. 2005, Food Chem
Toxicol 35((12), 2005, 1159-1164.
[12] G. Mazza, "Functional foods and nutraceuticals in cancer prevention",
Technomic publishing Lancaster, 1998.
[13] S. Arokiyaraj, S. Martin, K. Perinbam, P. Marie Arockianathan , and V.
Beatrice, "Free radical scavenging activity and HPTLC finger print of
Pterocarpus santalinus L. - an in vitro study", Indian Journal of Science
and Technology, Vol.1 No 7 (Dec. 2008), http://www.indjst.org
[14] G. Ismihan, A. Ahmet, S. T. Arzuhan, S. Munevver, S. Kemal, and T.
Bektas, "Screening of the antioxidant activity of essential oil and various
extracts of Origanum rotundifolium Boiss. from Turkey", Journal of
Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 3(4), pp. 246-254, April, 2009 ,
http://www.academicjournals.org
[15] B. Halliwell, J. M. C. Gutteridge. "Free radicals in biology and
medicine", Oxford University Press, UK, 2007.
[16] B. N. Ames, "Dietary carcinogens and anticarcinogens: oxygen radicals
and degenerative diseases", Science, 1983, 221, 1256-1264.
[17] G. Block, "The data support a role for antioxidants in reducing cancer
risk", Nutr. Rev., 1992, 50, 207-213.
[18] S. Foley, S. Navaratnam, D.J. McGarvey, E. J. Land, and T.G. Truscott,
"Singlet oxygen quenching and the redox properties of
hydroxycinnamic acids", Free Radical Biol. Med, 1999, 26, 1202-1208.
[19] M. S. Islam, M. M. Akter, M. A. Rahman, M. M. Rahman, M. M.
Akhtar and M. F. Alam, "Isolation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains
from crown gall sample of dicot plants in Bangladesh", Curr. Res.
Bacteriol., 2010, 3: 27-36.
[20] F. C. Chen, S. H. Hseu, S. T. Hung, M. C. Chen, and C. Y. Lin, "Leaf,
stem and crown galls on perennial asters caused by Agrobacterium
tumefaciens in Taiwan", Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin. (1999) 40: 237-242
[21] A.C. Braun, " The relevance of plant tumor systems to an understanding
of the basic cellular mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis", Progress in
Expermimental Tumor Research, 1972, 15:165-187.