RESUMO
Lepidium sativum Linn. has been used in traditional and folklore medicine for the treatment of bronchial asthma, diabetes, local and rheumatic pain. An ethanolic extract of cress (L. sativum L.) shoot, leaf, stem and seed has been studied for antioxidative active against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), total glutathione S-transferase assay, reduced glutathione activity, reducing power (Fe3+-Fe2+ Transformation Ability), and ascorbic acid is also estimated. The percentage yields of free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) obtained for different ethanolic extracts of L. sativum. Supreme scavenging activity was detected in shoot (12.19 ± 02%) and least in stem (2.69 ± 05%). The activity of total glutathione S-transferase enzyme was found to be more in seed (9600 ± 56.3 µg/ml) than other plant parts. The reduced glutathione content of the ethanolic extracts of L. sativum was found to be more in leaf (9 ± 0.2 µg/ml). In the reducing power assay, ethanolic extracts gives the optical density in increasing concentration in all plant parts it shows that it has the reducing ability of Fe3+-Fe2+. Presence of vitamin C was tested. It was found that the shoot extract has highest amount of vitamin C. The results of present data were shown that the ethanolic extract of L. sativum L. plant parts have contributed high potential in vitro antioxidant activity.
