In vitro screening for phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of Syngonium podophyllum L.: An incredible therapeutic plant

Abstract

Searching for natural curative agents with a superior safety profile for the management of oxidative stress linked disorders are continuing owing to multiple unwanted effects linked with synthetic antioxidants. Medicinal plants are still considered as one of the imperative cradles of modern medicine. Therefore the drive of this study was to analyse the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of the Syngonium podophyllum (S. podophyllum) L. leaves. The fresh leaves of S. podophyllum L. were extracted with methanol (CME) afterward fractionation using n-hexane (NHF), chloroform (CLF), ethyl acetate (EAF) and aqueous (AQF). The plant extract and its fractions were evaluated for phytochemical content by alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, tannins, resins, flavonoids and steroids tests. Total phenolic content (TPC) was also determined. Antioxidant activities were determined by total antioxidant activity (TAA), reducing power activity (RPA) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity tests. The phytochemical analysis of CME and its fractions of S. podophyllum L. leaves exposed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, resins, flavonoids and steroids. The CME of S. podophyllum L. leaves exhibited the highest amount (10.55 mg of GAE/g of dried extract) of TPC compared to remaining fractions. The highest absorbance, 3.791 nm was found in CME with respect to remaining fractions for TAA test. Among the crude extract and its different fractions, highest absorbance, 3.015 nm was reported for CME in RPA test. In the DPPH radical scavenging test, CME showed the highest scavenging activity (79.89%) with IC50 of 46.55 ìg/mL. This study indorsed that CME has marked antioxidant activities. This plant extract might be a promising source of natural antioxidant which can be effective for the treatment of oxidative stress related disorders.