SPECTROSCOPIC DETERMINATION OF TOTAL PHENOL, FLAVONOID CONTENT AND ANTI-OXIDANT ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF Adansonia digitata L.: AN IMPORTANT MEDICINAL TREE.

Singh Sugandha* and Rai Shashi

ABSTRACT

Adansonia digitata L. (Bombacaceae) (baobab) is a remarkable key tree species known as Kalpavriksha in India and very few reports validate its presence in the country. Baobab is a multi-purpose tree which is revered for its medicinal and nutritional value. It offers protection, provides food, clothing, medicine as well as Raw materials for many useful items. The fruit pulp, seeds, leaves, flowers, roots, and bark are edible and have been studied for their useful properties including antimicrobial, anti-malarial, antiviral, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, Quantitative spectroscopic estimation for phenols, flavonoids and anti-oxidant activity in plant extracts (methanol & aqueous extracts of bark and fruit pulp) was carried out. It was observed that the phenolic content was found maximum in the methanol bark extracts i.e. 44.50 μg (GAE)/ml compared to the methanol fruit pulp extract 38.69 μg (GAE)/ml. Methanol fruit extract was found to have higher flavonoid content (50.32 μg/ml) followed by aqueous fruit having 39.32μg/ml. Fruit pulp extract in methanol showed maximum anti-oxidant capacity of 114.82 μg AAE/ml followed by aqueous fruit pulp extract (84.23μg AAE/ml). The present results re-confirm the fact that the plant is a storehouse of large number of economically important chemicals, which have applied value as pharmaceuticals, with enormous anti-microbial potential against selected microorganisms. Also, the sudden interest developed in rehabilitation of this species is due to its unparallel medicinal properties and rich chemical composition.

Keywords: Phenol content, flavonoid, Adansonia digitata, pharmaceutical, nutraceuticals, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant.