Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Rev. Res., 38(1), May – June 2016; Article No. 37, Pages: 216-222 ISSN 0976 – 044X International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research Available online at www.globalresearchonline.net © Copyright protected. Unauthorised republication, reproduction, distribution, dissemination and copying of this document in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. 216 Shikha Rangra Chandel, Kamal Dev * , Prem Kumar Khosla Faculty of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, Shoolini University, Post Box No. 9, Head Post Office, Solan (HP), India. *Corresponding author’s E-mail: kamaldev@shooliniuniversity.com Accepted on: 05-04-2016; Finalized on: 30-04-2016. ABSTRACT Terminalia bellerica Roxb is a well-known medicinal plant and used in Ayurvedic herbal formulation to treat various ailments. In the current study, we correlated the phenolic and flavonoids contents with antioxidant potential of fruits and leaves of Terminalia bellerica from Himachal Pradesh. Quantitative phytochemical analysis of total phenolic and flavonoids content in ethanolic extract of fruit and leaves of Terminalia bellerica was done by Folin-Ciocalteau assay and aluminium chloride assay respectively. Analysis of antioxidant activity was done by using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay (FRAP), Nitric oxide assay (NO) and Total antioxidant activity. Phytochemicals screening analysis showed the presence of all the phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, phytosterols, phytosteroids, saponins, proteins except amino acid. Total phenolic content (TPC) is more (177 ± 0.19532) mg/g gallic acid equivalents) as compare to leafy part (169 ± 0.39 mg/g gallic acid equivalents) whereas total flavonoids (TFC) is more in leafy part (79.79±0.73 mg/g rutin equivalents) as compare to fruit part of plant (74.23±1.04 mg/g rutin equivalents) respectively. DPPH activity of ethanolic extract of fruits (IC 50 -5.90µg/ml) was more than that of leaves (IC 50 -6.60µg/ml). FRAP activity of fruits (IC 50 - 6.50µM Fe (II) equivalents) was more than that of leaves (IC 50 - 9.69µM Fe (II) equivalents). Nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity of leaves (IC 50 -65.321/ml) was higher than that of fruits (IC 50 - 156.94µg/ml). Total antioxidant activity of fruits (IC 50 -96.978 µg/ml) was more than that of leaves (IC 50 -105.83 µg/ml). The results of this study showed that ethanolic extract of leaves and fruits are equally rich in phenolic and flavonoids and possess comparative antioxidant potential. Therefore, leaves could be used as a source of natural antioxidant in food and pharmaceutical industry in addition to fruits of T. bellerica. Keywords: Terminalia bellerica, DPPH, FRAP, NO, IC 50 , Antioxidants. INTRODUCTION any Indian medicinal plants are considered potential sources of antioxidant compounds. Natural products are known to play important roles in both drug discovery and chemical biology. In recent years, the use of natural antioxidants has been promoted because of concerns on the safety against synthetic drugs. 1 About 80% of the population in the third world countries relies on traditional plant based medicines for their primary health care needs. Natural products and related drugs are used to treat 87% of different human diseases. 2 About 25% of the prescribed drugs in the world are prepared from a variety of plant materials as leaves, stems, roots, bark etc. 3 However, the majority of these plants have not yet undergone chemical, pharmacological and toxicological studies to investigate their bioactive compound as well as their mode of action. 4 Free radicals are an indispensable part of all biological processes. 5 Antioxidants act by reducing or inhibiting chain reactions of oxidative processes by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves. 6 Due to their safety and high nutritional and therapeutic effects, natural antioxidants present in food and other biological materials have fascinated a great deal of interest. 7 Use of synthetic antioxidants has been eliminated from many food products as they require extensive and expensive testing and has to fulfill safety standards. The increasing importance in the search for natural alternatives of synthetic antioxidants has led to the evaluation of antioxidants in a number of plant sources. 8 Terminalia is a genus of large trees (upto 40 m high) of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 200 species distributed across humid, semi- humid, tropical regions of the world. Approximately 24 different species of Terminalia have already been reported from various states and Union Territories of India. 9 Terminalia bellerica Roxb commonly known as Bahera is found in deciduous forests throughout the greater part of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra states of India except the dry region of Western India. It is an integral part of Ayurvedic laxative formulation, Triphala used in treatment of common cold, pharyngitis and constipation. 10-12 The extract of T. bellerica has been reported to exhibit a variety of biological activities and pharmacological effects including anti-malarial, anti- bacterial, anti-HIV, anti-fungal, anti-mutagenic, and antioxidant effects. 13 Therefore, present study was undertaken to evaluate phenolic and flavonoid contents in ethanolic extract of fruits and leaves and their correlation with antioxidant Comparative Antioxidant Potential of Leaves and Fruit Extracts of Terminalia bellerica Roxb from Himachal Pradesh. M Research Article