ABSTRACT
Objective: The present work deals with the qualitative study of the phytoconstituents present in Aegialitis rotundifolia Roxb., ethanolic leaves extract and evaluate its antioxidant properties in vitro. Methods: The qualitative phytochemical analysis of the extract was performed first using preliminary phytochemical tests and then by liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS). The antioxidant properties were investigated comprehensively using seven in vitro models viz., 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, nitric oxide (NO) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging, superoxide (SOD) radical scavenging, lipid peroxidation (LPO) assay, reducing power (RP), and total antioxidant activity. Results: The preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of several important phytochemical groups whereas the LC-Q-TOF-MS analysis detected 25 phytoconstituents in the extract mostly belonging to flavonoids and alkaloids. The test extract showed strong dose-dependent antioxidant activity in all the seven in vitro models, however, the activity of the extracts was slightly lower compared to the reference standard ascorbic acid. Conclusion: The test extract showed strong antioxidant properties which could be possibly due to the phytoconstituents detected in the extract.