ABSTRACT
This attempt is made to address the phytoconstituents, free radical scavenging activity and brine shrimp lethality bioassay of five different extracts of Asparagus racemosus roots. Preliminary phytochemical examination of the crude extracts of Asparagus racemosus root disclosed the existence of different sort of chemical groups such as flavonoids, tannin, saponin, alkaloids, carbohydrate. The root displayed significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity with highest IC50 value showed by ethanol extract with a value of 78.15 μg/ml followed by methanol and petroleum ether having value of 106.44 μg/ml and 273.31 μg/ml respectively as opposed to that of the scavenging effects of ascorbic acid and BHT of 5.698 μg/ml and 8.816 μg/ml respectively. The highest reducing power was showed by ethanol extract followed by methanol and petroleum ether as opposed to that of the reducing potential of ascorbic acid and BHT. The fractions represented good cupric reducing capacity with increasing concentration taking ethanol extract in the top position. The ethanol extract yielded 108.78±2.77 mg/gm gallic acid equivalent phenolic content and methanol sub-fraction yielded 164.77±1.73 mg/gm quercetin equivalent flavonoid content that was highest among five extracts. Ethanol extract of Asparagus racemosus was found to possess the highest total antioxidant capacity (639.925±64.78) mg/gm followed by methanol (616.92±53.88) mg/gm and petroleum ether (469.17±52.95) mg/gm ascorbic acid equivalent respectively. In brine shrimp lethality bioassay, LC50 values for ethanol, methanol, petroleum ether, n-hexane and chloroform were found to be 0.674 μg/ml, 0.719 μg/ml, 0.984 μg/ml, 2.157μg/ml and 1.514 μg/ml respectively. N-hexane and chloroform extract showed least activity in all the measures. The results suggest that Asparagus racemosus is a valuable source of antioxidant and has significant cytotoxic activity hence could eliminate many diseases related to free radical.