Antioxidant and Membrane Stabilizing Properties of Ichnocarpus frutescens

The antioxidant potential of the 70% methanolic extract of Ichnocarpus frutescens was assessed by the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the hydrogen peroxide, the nitric oxide, the reducing power and the lipid peroxidation inhibition (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances production) and the red blood cell (RBC) membrane stabilization assays. The extract showed significant antioxidant activities in all assays in a dose dependent manner. The extracts displayed notable activities in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging which could be attributed to the high phenolic content of this extract. Moreover, I. frutescens extract showed strong reducing power and an ability to suppress lipid peroxidation. Suppression of lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide scavenging would be the probable mechanism of the stabilization of the RBC membrane. In the DPPH radical scavenging assay the IC₅₀ value of the extract was found to be 23.75 μg/mL. The extract inhibited the nitric oxide radicals generated from sodium nitroprusside and the IC₅₀ value was found to be 69.69 μg/mL, comparable to that of 86.83 μg/mL for the positive control ascorbic acid.