ABSTRACT

The present investigations were carried out to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant as well as antidiabetic activity of flowers of Calotropis gigantea. Different extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanolic extract) were prepared using successive solvent extraction method (soxhlet) and screened for its in vitro antioxidant activity using Diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, ABT S radical cation decolorization assay and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging activity and IC50 were calculated. In vitro antidiabetic activity was studied using α – amylase and α – glucosidase inhibitory assay. Chloroform extract, among the three extracts (i.e. petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanolic), showed maximum antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 151.23µg/ml, 73.56 µg/ml and 158.92µg/ml against DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical cation decolorization assay and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging activity respectively. The chloroform extract produced a significant in vitro antidiabetic activity with IC50 of 52.3µg/ml 18.2µg/ml against α – amylase and α – glucosidase enzymes but less inhibitory effect than standard acarbose.