Phytochemical Screening and In-vitro Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Unani Formulation Habb-e-Asgand

Aim: In the present work we aimed to perform phytochemical Screening and In-vitro free radical scavenging activity of Unani formulation Habb-e-asgand.

Study Design: The present work was designed to determine the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), Ferrous reducing antioxidant capacity assay (FRAC), DPPH radical scavenging assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, and nitric oxide scavenging assay.

Place and Duration of the Study: The present work has been carried out at Ali-allana College of Pharmacy, Akkalkuwa, from February-2020 to November-2020.

Methodology: Habb-e-asgand (HEA), a Unani polyherbal drug used in arthritis, gout, and joint pain, is a blend of many herbal medicinal plants. Scientific attempts to test and validate its effectiveness are scarce. The selected Unani formulation was evaluated for DPPH radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, and nitric oxide scavenging assay. The given formulation also evaluated the total antioxidant capacity and the reducing antioxidant capacity of ferrous metals.

Results: It was found that DPPH radical scavenging activity of HEA and BHT at a concentration of 100 μg/ml was 95±0.74 and 59±0.94 μg/ml. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of HEA, at the concentration of 100μg/ml, was 55±0.64, whereas at the same concentration catechin was 63±0.84 μg/ml. The IC50 value for nitric acid scavenging activity was found to be 49.60±1.57 for HEA, and 186.34 ± 3.28 µg/ml for ascorbic acid. The result obtained from TAC and FRAC activity demonstrates that HEA possessed the highest TAC and FRAC values in comparison to standards catechin and ascorbic acid.

Conclusion: From the above results it was concluded that HEA has a potent antioxidant activity. HEA showed moderate to high TAC and FRAC in dose-dependent manner compared to standards catechin and ascorbic acid. HEA shows dose-dependent DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Nitric oxide generation was observed after the incubation of solutions of sodium nitroprusside in PBS at 25°C for 150 min. HEA effectively reduced the generation of nitric oxide.