Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Different Fractions from Roots of Eriosema chinense Vogel

Aim: The roots of the plant Eriosema chinense Vogel (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) is taken in the form of vegetable and is traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhoea by the tribal people of Meghalaya, India. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to assess the antioxidant and antibacterial potential of different fractions from roots of Eriosema chinense along with quantitative estimations of phytoconstituents.
Study Design: Extraction, fractionation, analysis and antibacterial evaluation.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutics, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India between April 2012 to October 2012.
Methods: Different fractions i.e. aqueous, ethyl acetate, chloroform and hexane fractions were obtained from ethanol extract of roots of Eriosema chinense and were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening and quantification of total phenols, tannins, flavonoid and flavonol. All the fractions were then evaluated for in-vitro antioxidant activity by using different models, which includes total antioxidant capacity, assay of reducing power, free radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide scavenging assay, H2O2 scavenging activity and scavenging of hydroxyl radical. The study also included assessment of antibacterial activity of all fractions against bacterial strains including those implicated in diarrhoea.
Results: The chloroform fraction was found to be highly rich in flavonoids and phenols, which was followed by ethyl acetate fraction. In all the tested antioxidant models, chloroform and ethyl acetate fraction demonstrated the highest antioxidant potential as indicative through their IC50 values. All the fractions except aqueous fraction depicted a potent antibacterial activity at their respective higher concentration.
Conclusion: The antioxidant and antibacterial potential of Eriosema chinense may be attributed to the presence of phenols and flavonoids which plays a significant role in treatment of oxidative stress, cardiovascular arrests, inflammation, cancer and diarrhea.