Standardization and in-vitro analysis of antioxidant activity of Sarpagandha Churna.

Abstract

Sarpagandha Churna is a herbal medicine given to patients suffering from hypertension, psychosis and insomnia. It consists of pericarp of T. chebula fruits and R. serpentine roots at a ratio of 1:2 (w/w). In the present study, an attempt was made towards standardizingSarpagandha Churna in terms of phytochemical and physico-chemical analysis and determination of microbial counts and heavy metals, evaluating antioxidant potential of Sarpagandha Churna and its ingredients in terms of DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities, total polyphenol and flavonoid content using standard protocols. Results revealed, phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, steroids, tannins, sesquiterpenes were present in Sarpagandha Churna. The percentage of moisture, total ash, water soluble ash and acid insoluble ash of Sarpagandha Churna were 10.3 ± 0.0, 3.2 ±0.1, 2.2 ± 0.4,0.1 ± 0.0 %(w/w) respectively. Thin Layer Chromatography TLC, fingerprints were developed for Sarpagandha Churna and its ingredients. Thin Layer Chromatography fingerprint profile of R. serpentine is similar to Sarpagandha Churna. Further, all tested heavy metals; Hg, As, Pb and Cd were below the minimum detectable level of 0.05 mg/kg. Harmful microorganisms such as Coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella were not present and minimal amounts of Staphylococcus aureus, aerobic bacteria, yeast and mould were present in Sarpagandha Churna. In DPPH assay, lowest IC50 was observed with T. chebula and followed by Sarpagandha Churna and R. serpentine respectively. The highest number of polyphenols and flavonoids were present in T. chebula followed by Sarpagandha Churna and R. serpentinerespectively.In conclusion, results of physico-chemical parameters, phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity can be used to identify a genuine drug and detect any adulteration ofSarpagandha Churna. Further, it can be used as a reference in setting limits for quality assurance of Sarpag