In vitro antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of stem extract of Euphorbia trigona Miller

Antioxidative and free radical scavenging properties of different stem extracts of Euphorbia trigona were evaluated and correlated with its total phenolic content. Aqueous, acetone and methanolic extracts of shade dried stem were obtained and were concentrated in vacuo. The antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of stem extracts was determined by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, reducing power assay, deoxyribose degradation assay and Fe²⁺ chelating assay. Total phenolic contents (TPC) were evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The results confirmed that the plant is a rich source of polyphenolic compounds which are invariably higher compared to other herbs. All extracts showed TPC in the range of 146.6 - 168.6 mg/g gallic acid equivalents at 300μg/ml of extract. Among the three extracts ME showed highest scavenging activity as evidenced by maximum scavenging of DPPH (83.2%), OH• radicals (94.81%), Fe²⁺ chelating activity (88.59%) and a high reducing power 0.623 at 300μg/ml . Our results demonstrate that Euphorbia trigona, an unexplored xerophytic plant could be potential source of natural antioxidants and phytotherapeutic agents. The plant possess invariably high amount of polyphenolic compounds with a broad spectrum of antioxidant properties and could be further used for food, feed and pharmaceutical applications.