AN ASSESSMENT OF THE RELATIVE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF BARK EXTRACTS OF ACACIA CATECHU BY IN VITRO FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ANALYSIS

Objective: The objective of this research was to examine and compare the capacity of several bark extracts of Acacia catechu to scavenge nitric oxide (NO) free radicals. The study also examined the evaluation of variations in concentration that are reliant on both concentration levels and seasonal changes, using samples obtained throughout various seasons over a span of two consecutive years. Methods: In this study, six extracts were made utilizing solvents, including ethanol, methanol, aqueous solution, acetone, chloroform, and benzene. In the in vitro investigation, a nitric oxide (NO) assay was conducted to evaluate the free radical scavenging efficacy of the test samples. Results: Out of seven tested sample concentrations, 15.25 µg/ml was reported to be ineffective; higher than 500 µg/ml concentrations (i.e., 705 and 1000) were observed to be less effective than their lower concentrations, while 31.5–500 µg/ml drug concentrations were observed to be protective. Among these three, 125 µg/ml concentrations were found to be most effective (p<0.01 or more). In solvent-based results, methanolic, ethanolic, aqueous, and acetone extracts exhibited at least p<0.01 significant effective NO scavenging, but acetone extract was seen to have comparatively less protection (p<0.05) than the other three extracts. Chloroform and benzene extracts, respectively, showed less protection. Samples collected in the summer season showed greater protection than winter and Manson. Conclusion:  This study provided a clear observation of the impact of extraction solvent, concentration of drug, and season of sample collection on in vitro free radical scavenging potential. These data could help provide possible applications for regional plants for medicinal purposes.