Antioxidant, antinociceptive activity and general toxicity study of Dendrophthoe falcata and isolation of quercitrin as the major component

Plants have been used in traditional medicinal system for centuries. Bangladeshi medicinal plants have received considerable attention from the researchers for evaluation of their bioactivity. As a part of our ongoing research of screening the Bangladeshi medicinal plants, the ethanolic extract of Dendrophthoe falcata have been chosen for the present study. The ethanolic extract of the leaves of the plant have been assessed for their antioxidant, antinociceptive, and general toxicity. The extract showed potent antioxidant activity ( IC₅₀5.1μg/ml ) using DPPH radical scavenging assay, which is comparable to the standard ascorbic acid ( IC₅₀4.6μg/ml ). The extract significantly and dose dependently inhibited the acetic acid induced writhing in mice (71.2%, P < 0.001 and 28.0%, P < 0.05 for 500 and 250 mg/kg body weight, respectively). A general toxicity was assessed by a simple and low cost assay using brine shrimp lethality as an indicator. The extract showed low level of toxicity ( LC₅₀100μg/ml ). Using different chromatographic techniques, quercitrin (quercetin 3-O- α -rhamnoside) was separated as the major component from the extract. The structure was elucidated by detailed 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectral analysis.