Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Pharmacological Activities of Leaves of a Mangrove Plant Species - Aegiceras corniculatum (L.)

doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v4i9.4

Abstract

Aegiceras corniculatum (L.), a mangrove plant of the Sundarbans, has substantial utilization in the traditional medicinal system of the Indian subcontinent and to justify the plant utility, our study was designed to evaluate its pharmacological potentials. First, the plant’s ability to scavenge different radicals namely 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide and superoxide were examined. Quantitative analysis of the antioxidative secondary metabolites such as phenols, flavonoids and tannins were performed. To investigate the antihyperglycemic potential, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted, followed by the α-glucosidase
enzyme inhibitory activity assay. The extract was also evaluated for analgesic, antiinflammatory and antidiarrhoeal potential in acetic acid-induced writhing test, formaldehydeinduced paw edema test and castor oil-induced antidiarrhoeal assay, respectively. Finally, the
cytotoxicity of the plant part was tested through the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. SC50 (concentration required to scavenge 50% radicals) values were found to be 159.7, 151.8 and 346.8 µg/mL, respectively for DPPH, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radical scavenging assays. The total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents were 71 mg GAE/gm, 151 mg QE/gm and 32 mg GAE/gm. Substantial reduction of blood glucose level was observed in OGTT and the concentration required to inhibit 50% of the α-glucosidase enzyme (IC50) was found to be 10.483 mg/mL. The extract also demonstrated significant analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrhoeal potential compared to the respective standard drugs. The LC50 of the extract was found to be 10.87 µg/mL in brine shrimp lethality bioassay. All of the results justified the plants utilization in folklore medicinal system.