Phytochemical Screening and In-Vitro Evaluation of Antioxidant Activities of Various Extracts of Leaves and Stems of Kalanchoe crenata
Pages 104-114
Manisha Bhatti, Anjoo Kamboj and Ajay Kumar Saluja
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1927-5951.2012.02.01.14
Published: 28 August 2012

Abstract: Many diseases are associated with oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Current research is directed towards finding naturally occurring antioxidants of plant origin. Kalanchoe crenata Andr. (Crassulaceae), commonly known as "never die" or "Dog's liver," has been traditionally used for the treatment of ailments, such as, earache, smallpox, headache, inflammation, pain, asthma, palpitations, convulsion, and general debility. The aim of present research deals with phytochemical screening and in-vitro evaluation of antioxidant activities of the leaves & stems of K.crenata.

Method: Successive extracts of leaves & stems was subjected for phytochemical screening. The preliminary screening reports the presence of saponins, phytosterols, flavanoids, phenols and alkaloids in the extracts. Various extracts of K.crenata leaves & stems was studied in-vitro for total antioxidant activity, for scavenging of nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, the antioxidant capacity by phosphomolybdenum, reducing power determination and determination of phenolic and flavonoid content in the extracts. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydryzyl (DPPH) scavenging activity or the hydrogen donating capacity was quantified in presence of stable DPPH radical on the basis of Blois method. Nitric Oxide (NO) radical scavenging method was performed in the presence of nitric oxide generated from sodium nitroprusside using ascorbic acid as standard in both methods. The phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and flavonoid content was determined by aluminum chloride.

Result: The radical scavenging activity was found to dose dependent. Thus extract has been established as an antioxidant. The reducing capacity serves as significant indicator of antioxidant activity. The reducing power was found to increase with the increasing concentration of extract. The 100mg plant powder yielded 0.34, 0.49, 0.72, 0.98%w/wand 0.15, 0.23, 0.39, 0.56%w/w phenolic content in the benzene, chloroform, acetone, ethanol extracts of leaves and stems respectively using gallic acid as standard. Plant contains about 0.19, 0.29, 0.48, 0.64%w/w and 0.11, 0.17, 0.32, 0.47 %w/w of flavonoid content in the benzene, chloroform, acetone, ethanol extracts of leaves and stems respectively using quercetin as standard.

Conclusion: The present study provides evidence that different extracts of K.crenata leaves and stems is potential source of antioxidant activity. The extracts were found to contain phenolic compounds which could be responsible for the antioxidant properties. So K. crenata traditional use is justified in the present research work.

Cancer and Diet
Pages 63-70
Kenneth Lundstrom
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1927-5951.2012.02.01.9
Published: 28 August 2012

Abstract: Intervention in food intake has been demonstrated to play an enormous role in both prevention and treatment of disease. Numerous studies indicate a clear link between cancer and diet. The substantial development of sequencing technologies has resulted in access to enormous amounts of genomics information, which resulted in the establishment of nutrigenomics as an emerging approach to link genomics research to studies on nutrition. Increased understanding has demonstrated how nutrition can influence human health both at genetic and epigenetic levels. Dramatic dietary modifications have proven essential in reducing risk and even prevention of cancer. Moreover, intense revision of diet in cancer patients has revealed significant changes in gene expression and also has provided therapeutic efficacy even after short-term application. Obviously, a multitude of diets have been evaluated, but probably the common factor for achieving both prophylactic and therapeutic responses is to consume predominantly diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and fibers and reduced quantities of especially red meat. Despite encouraging findings on how dietary modifications can prevent disease and restore health, there are a number of factors which complicate the outcome. There are variations in response to dietary changes depending on age and gender. Furthermore, ethnic, social and geographic circumstances play an important role.