Anti-Oxidant Potential of some Herbal Drugs: A Bioactivity Guiding approach for Chronic Diseases

Herbal drugs are gaining momentum and worldwide acceptability for their importance in cure with safety, which has recently recognized and accepted globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. The therapeutic potential of plant-based traditional drugs in chronic diseases generally belongs to their combating effects on oxidative stress. Therefore, traditional herbal drugs can be screened out by assessing their anti-oxidant potential before performing their pre-clinical or clinical studies. The current study has demonstrated the in-vitro antioxidant potential of eight traditional medicinal plants by using five worldwide acceptable methods. The antioxidant potential was tested by evaluating total phenolic contents and reducing capacity along with the determination of DPPH, Nitric oxide, and Superoxide anionic free radical scavenging methods in eight traditional medicinal plants [viz. Emblica officinalis Linn., Amomum subulatum Roxb., Coriandrum sativum Linn., Borago officinalis Linn., Cinnamomum cassia Blume (leaves), Nardostachys jatamansi DC, Crocus sativus Linn. and Santalum album]. The correlation has been established among the results obtained, which can be considered as evidence of the method’s reliability. The total phenolic contents have been estimated in all drug samples and amla was found to contain maximum, whereas sandal had minimum phenolic contents. The results of the reducing power method were compiled by taking three readings and presented with standard deviation. The results against DPPH, Nitric oxide, and superoxide free radicals were demonstrated by calculating % inhibition and subsequently by calculating IC₅₀ values, respectively. The proposed methodology can be adopted to screen out the bioactivity-guided fractions as well as different plant samples before going to perform final in-vivo/preclinical or clinical studies for chronic diseases. The results of the study are encouraging and evidently complementary when correlations have been established among the results obtained by different methods.