Biological activities of Bonsupari (Caryota urens L.) fruits

Abstract

In Asian subcontinent, Caryota urens L. plant is well known. Its leaf has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The work aims to analyze the composition of the plant’s fruit extract and its aqueous and organic soluble fractions for its cytotoxic, thrombolytic, antioxidant, membrane stabilizing and antimicrobial properties. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay, phosphomolybdenum total antioxidant assay and total phenolic content were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay was used to determine the cytotoxic property. In thrombolytic activity assay, streptokinase was the standard. The samples were exposed to membrane stabilizing activity assay under heat and hypotonic solution-induced conditions. The samples’ antimicrobial potential was evaluated with Disc diffusion assay. The crude methanol extract showed   the highest free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 62.74±0.16 μg/mL) that can correlate with its total phenolic content of 106.88±0.19 mg of GAE / g of sample. The crude methanol extract showed the highest cytotoxic potential (LC50 = 0.59±0.34 μg/mL). The carbon tetrachloride soluble materials revealed 20.48±0.44% of clot lysis in the assay for thrombolytic activity. The crude methanol extract prevented haemolysis of human erythrocytes in hypotonic solution-induced condition by 64.17±0.26%. Key words: Caryota urens L., free radical scavenging activity, brine shrimp lethality, thrombolysis, membrane stabilization.