IARJSET ISSN (Online) 2393-8021 ISSN (Print) 2394-1588 International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology Vol. 3, Issue 3, March 2016 Copyright to IARJSET DOI 10.17148/IARJSET.2016.3305 20 Foliar nutraceutical and antioxidant property of Diospyros lanceifolia Roxb. (Ebenaceae) – An important medicinal plant of Assam, India Dipjyoti Kalita 1 , N. Devi 2 and D. Baishya 3 Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Guwahati 1 Department of Bioengineering, GUIST 2,3 Abstract: The genus Diospyros L. belongs to the family Ebenaceae is commonly known as “Persimmon”. It is native to China and America but also found in almost every tropical parts of the world. The plant is attributed with medicinal properties like anti-fertility, anti-tumor, anti-malarial, anti-diarrheal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory activities etc.. The present study was designed to evaluate the nutraceutical and antioxidant activity of the leaves of Diospyros lanceifolia Roxb.. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by using 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. The IC 50 value of methanolic extract of D. lanceifolia was found to be 76.74 ± 1.9 μg/ml. The study has revealed that the leaves can be used as therapeutic agent as they exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity. Keywords: D. lanceifolia Roxb., Antioxidant activity, Total Phenolic compound, Ascorbic acid, Gallic acid, DPPH. I. INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants based traditional systems of medicines are playing important role in providing health care to large section of world’s population, especially in developing countries. Interest in them and utilization of herbal products produced based on them is increasing in developed countries also [1]. The natural metabolic processes continuously goes on inside human body along with oxygen utilization. During the process of oxygen utilization in normal physiological and metabolic processes, a portion of oxygen gets univalently reduced to oxygen derived free radicals like superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl and nitric oxide radicals etc. These free radicals and reactive oxygen metabolites can react with proteins, nucleic acids and lipids, causing changes in genetic material and inactivation of enzymes that have been implicated in the etiology of several degenerative disorders including cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, liver cirrhosis, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders associated with ageing [2]. Natural antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, carotenoids, phenolic compounds etc. are frequently present in herbs and spices which are responsible for inhibiting or preventing the deleterious consequences of oxidative stress exerted by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and are much more safer and cheaper than the commercially available antioxidant products. The antioxidant property is strictly correlated with the activity of phenolic compounds. Since the naturally available antioxidants are more beneficial to mankind, so it may easily develop a great future prospect in the field of medicine and therapeutic drugs. Diospyros L. of Ebenaceae family is characterized by tree or shrubby habit with glabrous branches. Leaves are usually alternate or sometimes sub-opposite or opposite, subsessile, simple, entire, exstipulate, narrow elliptic or lanceolate to oblong-acuminate or obtuse, glabrous or pubescent, often anisophyllous. Inflorescence axillary, cymose, fasciculate, pseudo-racemose, bracteates. Flowers usually unisexual rarely hermaphroditic, regular, 3-7 merous, dioecious very rarely polygamous. From old days, different Diospyros sp are known for their medicinal uses. In many traditional medicinal systems of the world, a number of Diospyros plants are used as medicinal agents against various diseases. All parts of these plants are used for medicinal purposes such as the leaves used for lumbago, fruits are carminative, astringent, and cure biliousness, the seed are sedative and the bark is bitter, astringent and febrifuge[3],[4]. Diospyros species are a rich source of biologically active compounds and almost all parts of plants in this genus have been used as traditional medicine [3] [5]. Plants of this genus are well documented, and are reported to contain naphthoquinones, including 7-methyljuglone, diospyrin, isodisopyrin and triterpenes of the lupine series [6]. The latter have been found to exhibit ichthyotoxic, antimicrobial and antitumor activities [7] [8]. Naphthoquinones produced by this genus are usually in the form of dimmers [8]. Other biologically active compounds that have been reported from Diospyros species are coumarin, flavonoids and other phenolic compounds[3] [5]. Thus, Diospyros sp in traditional medicinal medicinal system of the world are used as (a) woman's medicine, for insomnia and hiccough, (b) for internal hemorrhage and bedwetting in children (c) anti- hypertensive (d) dysphonia (e) vermicide and vermifuge (f) sedative (g) antifebrile (h) promotes secretions (i) astringent and (j) antifungal and antibacterial [9] [10]. In Indian medicinal system also various Diospyros sp are used in folk medicines and constitute a part in formulation of drugs in Ayurvedic system [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]. D. lanceifolia occur throughout the tropical region of the world from India and Sri Lanka in the northwest through