Objective: The object of the present investigation is to verify the antioxidant activity of sweet and bitter variety of Lagenaria siceraria (LS) and to investigate the medicinal properties of whole plants.
Materials: Ascorbic acid, 1, 1-Diphenyl-Picryl-2-hydroxyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2), trichloroacetic acid, ferric chloride, potassium ferricyanide, and petroleum ether were obtained from Merck Limited, Mumbai, India. All other reagents used were of analytical grade. The leaves of LS were procured from the local market of Pusad and authentification was made from the Department of Botany, Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur.
Methods: The dried and coarsely powdered plant material was extracted with petroleum ether (60–80°) by hot percolation in Soxhlet apparatus. The extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to yield a crude semi-solid mass. Standard method swere used for preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract to recognize the phytoconstituents present in the extract.
Results: In the present study, identification collection and authentification of sweet and bitter verities of LS were successfully done. The extract of bitter LS has high antioxidant activity; antioxidant activity of the extract was located by DPPH free radical scavenging activity and H2O2 method.
Conclusion: The results obtained in the present study indicated that LS both variety all parts extract exhibited free radical scavenging activity against H2O2 and DPPH. The overall antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract of LS might be attributed to its polyphenolic content and other phytochemical constituents.