Antioxidant activity of Euphorbia hirta L. leaf extracts

Despite the recent interest in synthetic medicines, indigenous medicines have received substantial consideration in the developing countries for primary health care, not because they are inexpensive but also for better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body and minimal side effects. Oxidative stress is an important risk factor in the pathogenesis of numerous chronic diseases. Therefore, in the present study aqueous, chloroform and ethanolic leaf extracts of Euphorbia hirta were screened for antioxidant activity by DPPH radical scavenging assay. The results showed that all the three plant extracts possessed potent antioxidant property. However, ethanolic leaf extract exhibited maximum scavenging action, followed by chloroform and aqueous extracts, respectively. Ethanolic extract also showed the high content of both phenols and flavonoids, suggesting the positive correlation between polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity. The study serves as a scientific basis for the use of E. hirta in traditional system of medicine for the treatment of oxidative stress related diseases. Further studies are required to determine cytotoxicity effects of the extracts on the cell lines.