IN VIVO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF LIMNOPHILA HETEROPHYLLA AND MICHELIA CHAMPACA Original Article RAJA S., RAVINDRANADH K. GITAM Institute of Pharmacy, GITAM University, Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh, India 530045 Email: sraja61@gmail.com Received: 14 Aug 2017 Revised and Accepted: 02 Nov 2017 ABSTRACT Objective: The present study was aimed at investigating the in-vivo antioxidant activity of the methanol extracts of Limnophila heterophylla and Michelia champaca leaves. Methods: Methanol extract of both plants were administered to rats separately at three different doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg for 21 d to evaluate oxidative stress parameters such as ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and to evaluate antioxidant enzyme levels of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Results: The methanol extracts of both the plants significantly (p<0.05) elevated the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) on days 7, 14 and 21 of treatment. Significant (p<0.05) decrease of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels along with an increase in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme level in the liver and kidney at three different doses both the plants was observed. Treatment at a dose of 500 mg/kg b. w of both plants caused a significant increase only in the level of CAT in the liver and kidney. However, there was no significant effect of a thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the heart and reduced glutathione (GSH) level in liver, heart and kidney at three different doses both the plants. Conclusion: These outcomes recommend that the leaves of Limnophila heterophylla and Michelia champaca have a potent antioxidant activity which may be responsible for some of its reported pharmacological actions. Keywords: Limnophila heterophylla, Michelia champaca, FRAP, Catalase, TBARS, GSH © 2017 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ijpps.2017v9i12.22013 INTRODUCTION In the development of diseases, free radicals have emerged because the major entity inflicting harm to cells. These cytotoxic metabolites are generated by aerobic metabolism within the cell that successively considerably will increase pathological conditions, resulting in free radical mediate denaturation of protein, enzymatic deactivation, base hydroxylation of nucleic acids, cross-linking or strand cutting, mutation or maybe death [1]. However, the physiological system has a series of defense mechanism including antioxidant enzymes-superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), and other free radical scavengers, β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, α-lipoic acid, curcumin, rutin, BHT and glutathione to protect the cell against cytotoxic ROS (reactive oxygen species) [2]. The antioxidants in a biological system can be either enzymatic or non-enzymatic. The enzymatic antioxidants include catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione which catalyse neutralization of many types of free radicals [3], while the nonenzymatic antioxidants include vitamin C, selenium, vitamin E, carotenoids, and polyphenols. The enzymatic antioxidants catalyse neutralization of many types of free radicals [3]. However, when the balance between the oxygen species and antioxidants is altered, a state of oxidative stress results, possibly leading to everlasting cellular damage. There is evidence that antioxidants may be useful in preventing the deleterious consequences of oxidative stress, and there is an increasing interest in the protective biochemical function of natural antioxidants contained in vegetables, fruits and medicinal herbs [4]. Generally, plants, herbs, and spice, rich in phenolic compounds like flavonoids, have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antiviral, antiaging and anticarcinogenic activities which can be attributed to their antioxidant properties [5]. In this respect, flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds have received the greatest attention [6-8]. Limnophila heterophylla is an aquatic herb, mainly submerged, but with shoots that often emerge above the water surface, rooting at nodes. The plant finds lot of applications in the traditional system of medicine to treat wounds [9]. Different parts of Limnophila heterophylla possess varied pharmacological activities like COX inhibitor [10], antimicrobial [11] and wound healing [12]. The plant encloses terpene, flavanoids, terpinoids and oils [13]. Michelia, known by the scientific name Michelia champaca, is a very tall tree that grows up to 30m tall. Michelia champaca is used ethnomedicinally for the handling of astringent, constipation, dyspepsia, dysmenorrhea, fever, febrifuge, nausea, stomachic, skin disease, tonic, ulcers and wounds [14]. Earlier pharmacological reports of Michelia champaca had demonstrated its cytotoxic activity [15], anti-inflammatory [16], antihyperglycemic [17], leishmanicidal [18], antibacterial [19], wound healing [20], diuretic [21], antiulcer [22], antifertility [23], antihelmintic [24] and cardioprotective [25] activities. Several phytoconstituents like alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, saponins, tannins, sterols and steroids have been isolated from different parts Michelia champaca. Based on these reports, this study was designed to investigate the in vivo antioxidant activity of methanol extracts of leaves of Limnophila heterophylla and Michelia champaca. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant materials The plants were collected from Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), India and further, plants were distinguished, affirmed and validated by Dr. Madavchetty, Professor, Botany office, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. A voucher specimen of these plants (Limnophila heterophylla-GIP006/2013-2014 and Michelia champaca- GIP005/2013-2014) have been kept in the GITAM Institute of Pharmacy, GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ISSN- 0975-1491 Vol 9, Issue 12, 2017