PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT OF ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF Medicago polymorpha AND Oxalis corniculata

During the last two decades, enormous interest is rising in plant based antioxidants. As their name suggests, their role involves in inhibiting the development of oxidative rancidity in fat-based foods. Many phytochemicals have been isolated so far from the aromatic / medicinal plants including saponins, flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids and triterpenoids. These compounds exhibit antiallergenic, antimicrobial, anticancer, antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory activities, and are known as secondary metabolites in plants. Underutilized plants are the focus of study worldwide since these possess enormous potential for commercialization. These play a vital role in the prevention of human diseases, food security and environment sustainability. Unfortunately, due to lack of attention, many plants are gradually becoming rare and endangered. Keeping this thing in mind, the present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant potential of leaf extracts of Medicago polymorpha and Oxalis corniculata. For this purpose, the aqueous extracts of the study plants were subjected to determination of antioxidant potential through, 2-2, di-phenyl 1-picryl hydrazyl, total antioxidant activity (TAA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). The results of the present study depicts that antioxidant potential and free radical scavenging activity of the test plants increased with increasing concentration of the extracts. Furthermore, it was observed that both the test plants were found to be rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Hence, it is concluded that, M. polymorpha and O. corniculata have good antioxidant potential and could be used as a source of natural antioxidants.