In-vitro free radical scavenging activities of the leaves of Malva verticillara L

Antioxidants act as major defense against radical-mediated toxicity by protecting against the damages caused by free-radicals. Research on herbal products are increasingly focused on their effects on scavenging of different newly generated free-radical species and associated oxidative stress mediated complications on human health, but there are unexpectedly few studies evaluating the bioactivity of edible leafy vegetables of North Bengal, India. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant potential of methanol extract and aqueous decoction of Malva verticillata L. [MV] leaves, consumed by local people of North Bengal. Extracts of leaves were analyzed for in vitro free radical scavenging capacity, the total phenol and flavonoid content and preliminary phytochemical analysis. The antioxidant property was estimated using reducing power, superoxide radical scavenging activity and DPPH assays. Methanol extract of leaves were found to be effective in DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging activity when compared with aqueous decoction of MV. Overall strong correlation between the mean values of total phenol content and IC50 values of DPPH and superoxide free radical scavenging capacity was observed. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that phenolic functional groups and reducing potential of methanol and aqueous extracts were mostly contributed for their antioxidant capacity. The present study revealed that methanol extract of the leaves of MV comprise effective source of natural antioxidants, which might be helpful in preventing the progress of various oxidative stress induced diseases.