A STUDY ON HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF CITRULLUS COLOCYNTHIS LEAVES: PHARMACOGNOSICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND IN-VITRO ANTI-OXIDANT EVALUATION

The objective of the present work is to study the Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical characterization and in vitro anti-oxidant potential of hydro alcoholic extract of Citrullus colocynthis. In developing countries, herbal medicines account for about 80% of primary health care used by the global population. It is believed that this is attributed to the chemical constituents in them which are part of the physiological functions of the living flora, thus they are considered to be more compatible with the human body due to their physiological functions. Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. is a species of cucurbit that belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. It is a perennial herbaceous vine that grows up to three meters in length, flowers and has a berry-like fruit. The leaves of Citrullus colocynthis was collected in and around Vellore. The leaves powder was analyzed macroscopically, microscopically, physiochemically, and phytochemically by macroscopic, microscopical, and physicochemical methods. A variety of chemical tests were performed on this hydro-alcoholic extract of leaves of Citrullus colocynthis to identify flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, carotenoids, proteins, tannins, amino acids, and sterols as per standard procedures. The total phenol content of Citrullus colocynthis was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method. The aluminum chloride colorimetric technique was used for estimation of total flavonoid estimation. DPPH stable free radical method is an easy, rapid and sensitive way to survey the antioxidant activity of specific compound or plant extracts. The reducing power ability of plant extracts was screened by assessing the ability of the test extract to reduce FeCl3 solution as mentioned. The total phenolic content in the hydro alcoholic extract of C. colocynthis leaves was found to be 64.6 mg/g. The total flavonoid content in the hydro alcoholic extract of C. colocynthis leaves was found to be 85.5 mg/g. A hydroalcoholic extract from Citrullus colocynthis showed moderate antioxidant activity despite having strong antioxidant properties despite plants' strong antioxidant properties. By absorbing electrons from antioxidants, it neutralizes its free radical nature. There is a scientific foundation for the prospect of applying the leaves of Citrullus colocynthis for the treatment of anti-oxidants through the present study. A future scope of work includes identifying the chemical components responsible for these activities and conducting in-vivo pharmacological screenings