Pharmacological screening of Hypericum androsaemum extracts for antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation, antiglycation and cytotoxicity activity

ABSTRACT

Oxidative stress and glycation processes have a combined effect on diabetes related complications. Crude plant extracts and plant derived compounds possessing both antiglycation and antioxidant activities have a high therapeutic potential for treating these complications. Antioxidant, antiglycation, anti-lipid per oxidation and cytotoxic activities of crude methanol extract and solvent fractions of Hypericum androsaemum L. [Hypericaceae] were evaluated and correlated with total content of phenolics and flavonoids. Significant radical scavenging activity was observed for the methanol extract against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] free radical used as a basis for antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 92.70 +/- 2.85 micro gmL-1 [96.20 +/- 2.34% inhibition at 500 micro gmL-1]. In case of anion scavenging activity the results were not very significant [33.20 +/- 1.22% inhibition at 500 micro gmL-1]. Anti-lipid per oxidation activity was highest for n-hexane fraction [67.83 +/- 1.33% inhibition at 500 micro gmL-1] while the ethyl acetate fraction had the highest antiglycation activity [62.77 +/- 2.54% inhibition at 500 micro gmL-1]. Statistically significant correlation was determined for antioxidant and antiglycation activity and phenolic and flavonoid contents. In cytotoxicity assay all the extracts had IC50 values >30 microg mL-1 as compared to the standard cycloheximide [IC50 value 0.084 +/- 0.1 micro gmL-1]. The polar extracts of H. androsaemum can be a good source of non-toxic compounds with antioxidant, anti-lipid per oxidation and antiglycation activities