Phytoconstituents screening and in-vitro evaluation of total antioxidant activity of marine red algae Gracilaria fergusonii J. Agardh

Evaluation of various organic solvent extracts of marine red algae Gracilaria fergusonii used for priliminary screening of phytoconstituents and in-vitro total antioxidant activity. The phytochemical screening was carried out by cooling percolation extraction using different solvents like acetone, ethanol, chloroform, petroleum ether, benzene, methanol and water. The standard regression of alpha tocopherol gives linear regression [y= 0.0004x + 0.0807 (R-2= 0.9814)] obtained and used to calculate the standard and the total antioxidant activity are expressed as equivalents of vitamin E (mu g g(-1)). The present study reavealed that most of the phytochemicals like alkaloids, coumarin, flavonoids, phenol, quinons, steroids, saponin, tannins, glycosides, amino acid, sugar, protein and fatty acid were present in the dried algal sample. The total antioxidant activity was done by phosphomolybdate method using a-tocopherol as standard.