Antioxidant Activity of Rhizophora Mucronata Collected from Thoothukudi Coastal Area, India

Introduction: Mangrove forests yield the coast lines of several tropical countries. Apart from ecological importance, plants hold important therapeutic uses. One among the mangrove species is Rhizophora mucronata. Antioxidant properties of medicinal plants have attracted the attention of many researchers. The antioxidant compounds terminate the attack of free radicals and reduce the risk of neurological disorders. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of Rhizophora mucronata Materials and Methods:The fresh leaves of Rhizophora mucronata were collected from Tuticorin coastal area, Tamilnadu. The dried mangrove powdered leaves were used to prepare methanol extract of Rhizophora mucronata. The extract was used to evaluate the total antioxidant activity. Total reducing activity and free radical scavenging activity using DPPH assay and compared with the standard ascorbic acid. Results and Discussion : The antioxidant potential of Rhizophora mucronata by DPPH assay showed a maximum scavenging activity of 93.86% at highest concentration (150 mu g/ml)while the standard ascorbic acid showed 98.6% at high concentration.The maximum concentration of 150 mu g/ml of R. mucronata extract was equivalent to 136.85 +/- 1.28 concentration of ascorbic acid in total antioxidant activity and the maximum concentration of 150 mu g/ml of R. mucronata extract was equivalent to 73.24 +/- 1.22 concentration of ascorbic acid in total reducing power. BThe present study concludes that Rhizophora mucronata has very good antioxidant activity. Hence, the extract can be used for its antioxidant property in disease conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes and certain cancers after further invivo studies.