Bioactivity of leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca and its hepatoprotective effect

Abstract

The present investigation entitled Bioactivity of leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca and its hepatoprotective effect was carried out in order to study the proximate composition, phytochemical estimation, antioxidant activities of Simarouba glauca leaf extracts and its in vivo study for hepatoprotective activity. The leaf was collected from Assam Agricultural University and thereafter a series of laboratory experiments were carried out to fulfill the objectives of the present study. The fresh leaves were dried and powdered to carry out different analytical procedures. The nutrient composition of the Simarouba glauca leaf powder was determined where the moisture content was 9.01 gm/100 gm of the sample. The protein content of the leaf powder was 12.42 gm/100 gm, the fat was 4.33 gm/100 gm, the fibre was 27.95 gm/100 gm, the ash content was 3.29 gm/100 gm, the carbohydrate content was 39.81 gm/100 gm and the dry matter was 90.99 gm/100 gm of sample. The vitamin content of the Simarouba glauca leaf powder was evaluated where the presence of thiamin was 0.71 mg/100 gm, riboflavin was 0.42 mg/100 gm, niacin was 1.59 mg/100 gm, ascorbic acid was 22.1 mg/100 gm and vitamin A was 5.01/100 gm of the sample. Fluorescence was estimated in Simarouba glauca leaf powder under visible and ultra violet light at 245 nm. The leaf powder when treated with different reagents such as sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, potassium hydroxide, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, chloroform, ethanol, methanol, iodine and water exhibited bright green, dark brown, brown, pale green, yellowish green, black, reddish brown, red, light yellow and green colour under visible day light and ultra violet light. The extraction yield of Simarouba glauca leaf extracts ranged from 1.87-2.30 per cent where the water extracts of Simarouba glauca leaf was highest (2.30 per cent) and it was lowest in methanol extracts of Simarouba glauca leaf (1.87 per cent). The preliminary phytochemical screening showed presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, ..