Comparison of In Vitro Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic Content, Total Flavonoid Content and Chromatographic Evaluation of Hemiparasite Dendrophthoe Falcata (L.f.) Ettingsh Growing on Four Different Medicinal Host Plants

Background: Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f.) Ettingsh is a hemiparasitic medicinal plant of the family Loranthaceae. It is the most common mistletoe occurring throughout India, with a wide host range. The ethanol extracts of whole plant of D. falcata growing on Anacardium occidentale (DFA), Lagerstroemia speciosa (DFL), Mangifera indica (DFM) and Strychnos nux-vomica (DFS) were selected for the present investigation to evaluate the variation in antioxidant potential and quantitative determination of total phenolic and flavonoid content, which has significant role in biological activities. Materials and Methods: The four samples were subjected to assess antioxidant potential by DPPH and FRAP assays (in vitro) and chemical profiling using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) analysis. Folin-Ciocallteau reagent method and Aluminium chloride colorimetric assay were employed to determine total phenolic and flavonoid content respectively. HPTLC analysis is carried out using Gallic acid as the marker compound. Results: DFM and DFA exhibited potential antioxidant activity on DPPH and FRAP assays. The antioxidant potential of the extracts follows the order as DFM > DFA > DFS > DFL in both assays. In HPTLC analysis, specific band of Gallic acid was observed at Rf 0.30. Gallic acid is present only in two samples of D. falcata (DFA and DFM), which also showed quantitative variations as estimated from the peak area developed in the chromatogram. Phenolic content was high in DFM and DFL, while flavonoid content was high in DFM and DFA. Conclusion: The four samples exhibited a varying range of antioxidant activities. The study helped identify and establish chemotypes with respect to selected host plants. So host specificity is an important factor to consider while using D. falcata for therapeutic purposes.