INVESTIGATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY FROM CESTRUM NOCTURNUM L. STEMS AND PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENT

The present study was carried out to evaluate antioxidant activity from extracts of Cestrumnocturnum stems and also investigate the chemical content of the plant extracts. Methanol 8% extract,ethyl acetate, butanol and aqueous extracts were tested for free radical scavenging activity on modelreaction with stable 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). The results have shown that Methanol80% extract is the best one as free radical scavenging agent. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts haveshown that methanol 80% extract has flavonoids, saponins, tannins, triterpenes and carbohydrates, bothbutanol and ethyl acetate extracts have triterpenes and flavonoids while aqueous extract has saponins,carbohydrates and tannins. The results may help to discover new chemical classes of natural antioxidantsubstances that could serve as selective agents for infectious diseases.