ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL AND PHENOLIC CONTENTS OF LEAF, BARK AND FRUIT OF <em>AEGLE</em> <em>MARMELOS</em>

Abstract

Free radicals produced during cellular metabolism are responsible for various diseases. Thus, looking for natural antioxidants from medicinal plants has now become an important research. Aegle marmelos, commonly known as bael, is a tropical tree valued for its medicinal properties and has been used to cure many diseases. In the present study, antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of the bael leaf, bark and fruit were investigated. The methanolic extracts of bael leaf, bark and fruit were assayed for their antioxidant activities using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl,2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, reducing power and chelating metal ion power. The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity was observed in leaf methanolic extract (50% inhibition (IC₅₀) value = 249.3 ± 9.4 μg mL^-1) and least in fruit methanolic extract (IC₅₀ = 1032.2 ± 7.03 μg mL^-1). Highest chelating power was observed in leaf methanolic extract (IC₅₀ = 165.7 ± 2.3 μg mL^-1) and least in fruit methanolic extract(IC₅₀ = 977 ± 5.7 μg mL^-1) whereas the IC₅₀ of reducing power ranged from 0.4 to 05 μg mL^-1. Total phenolic content was highest in leaf methanolic extract (16.5 ± 0.3 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) g^-1 dry weight) and lowest in fruit methanolic extract (10.6 ± 0.3 mg GAE g^-1). Reversed-phase HPLC analysis of the leaf, bark and fruit methanolic extracts, revealed the presence of different phenolic acids, viz. gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, p-hydroxy benzoic acid, syringic acid, ferulic acid and chlorogenic acid.