Preliminary studies on antioxidant and anti-cataract activities of Cheilanthes glauca (Cav.) Mett. through various in vitro models

Abstract

Aqueous extracts of Cheilanthes glauca (Cav.) Mett., (Adiantaceae), commonly named Doradilla, are often used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory and for diabetes treatment. In the present study the antioxidant capacity of freeze-dried extract of Ch. glauca was investigated through different tests, i.e. i) 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ii) 2,2’-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities iii) ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) iv) Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) v) lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes and vi) anti-cataract effect on cultured bovine lens. The total phenolic content of the plant was also determined to estimate the antioxidant activity as gallic acid equivalent (GAE). Doradilla extracts exhibited a strong antioxidant capacity, which was concentration-dependent in all assays. To ascertain the possible explanation for this potent activity, the percentages of rutin and total flavonoids were estimated by planar chromatography, found values of 3.50% ± 0.05% and 11.70% ± 0.08% respectively. Only rutin was able to partially inhibit cataract formation in high glucose conditions. The results suggest that rutin could be related to some of pharmacological effects of Ch. glauca. In vitro models clearly established the antioxidant properties of this plant and its use in pathological conditions where oxidative stress was involved.