Evaluation Of Antioxidant And Anti Inflammatory Activity Of Acalypha Indica Aqueous Ethanolic Extract

Abstract

Background: Acalypha indica Linn is a natural herb, belonging to the family Europhorbiacaea that grows in tropical parts of India, Srilanka and throughout South America. It is considered as a traditional medicine of India for its wide medicinal properties. The extracts obtained from the root and leaf of Acalypha indica exhibit various phytochemical components like flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds and sterols, which are known to have good medicinal aspects on humans and animals.

Aim: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of Acalypha indica aqueous ethanolic extract.

Materials and Methods: A coarse powder of Acalypha indica (1gm) was mixed with 25 ml of distilled water and ethanol in a 250 ml beaker. After 24 hrs, it was heated at 45-50 C for 10 minutes. Then the obtained aqueous ethanolic extract was stored in the refrigerator and further used to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect using the DPPH method and albumin denaturation assay.

Results: The results demonstrated that both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity analysed using aqueous ethanolic extract of Acalypha exhibited a good inhibition rate against standard drugs Vitamin C and diclofenac.

Conclusion: Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects analysed using aqueous ethanolic extract of acalypha possess good medicinal properties. So it can be effectively formulated as herbal medicine that can be used to treat several diseases like skin disorders, wound infections, respiratory infections.