Effect of methanolic floral extract of Clitoria ternatea (Fabaceae) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) in drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Phytochemical extracts from the leaves, roots and flowers of Clitoria ternatea, have long been utilized as a potent brain tonic and memory booster that actively improve cognitive abilities, memory and brain function. This raises the prospect that the phytochemical extracts purified from medicinally important herbs could be employed to treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases as cholinesterase inhibitors. Since oxidative stress is one of the contributing factors in inducing neurological disorders in humans, the plant’s antioxidant qualities may also aid in reducing the symptoms of neurological illnesses. During present investigation, the flies treated with higher dose of C. ternatea flower extract exhibited a significant rise in ROS level. Interestingly, the flies fed a lower dose showed non-significantly lower ROS levels and this may be attributed to scavenging free radicals or alternatively regulating the anti-oxidative defense mechanism. The exposure to higher concentration of C. ternatea inhibited the AChE activity and low concentration showed insignificant increase. This suggests that at lower dosage, the flower extract obtained from C. ternatea exhibited neuro-protective benefits. Present findings imply that the C. ternatea flower extract showed both anti-oxidative and neuro-protective properties; most probably as a result of the antioxidant characteristics found in the purified flower extracts.