The antioxidant, iron chelating and DNA protective properties of 70% methanolic extract of 'katha' (heartwood extract of Acacia catechu)

Abstract

The present study was carried out to determine the antioxidant and iron chelating property of 70% methanolic extract of 'katha' (heartwood extract of Acacia catechu). The extract was found to be an antioxidant with a TEAC value of 0.72 ± 0.02. The extract has shown its scavenging activity for different radical and 17.8 ± 0.63 μg/ml, 39.55 ± 1.36 μg/ml, 55.31 ± 7.12 μg/ml, 746.85 ± 30.46 μg/ml, 44.2 ± 4.48 mg/ml, 57.5 ± 4.23 μg/ml, 155.48 ± 3.78 μg/ml were determined as IC 50 value for DPPH, superoxide, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen and hypochlorous acid radicals, respectively. The plant was found to inhibit lipid peroxidation with an IC 50 of 12.35 ± 0.43 μg/ml. The extract also has the ability to chelate iron with an IC 50 of 810.8 ± 20.74 μg/ml as well as DNA protective property with [P]50 of 60.44 ± 5.73 μg/ml. It was also observed that the plant extract (100 mg) has 97.13 ± 0.006 mg/ml gallic acid equivalent phenolic and 383.66 ± 0.014 mg/ml quercetin equivalent flavonoid content. In a word, the present results provide evidence that 70% methanol extract of 'katha' acts as an antioxidant, iron chelator and DNA protector which is partly due to the phenolic and flavonoid compounds present in it.