Estimation of Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenol, Flavonoid Content among Natural Populations of Caper (Capparis moonii, Wight) from Western Ghats Region

  Antioxidant activity (%) of Capparis moonii, Wight leaves and stem collected from Amboli, Western Ghat (India) was measured using DPPH , Phosphmolybdenum reduction, FRAP, Reducing power assay and H2 O2 radical scavenging assay along with its total phenol and flavanoid content. Current research focuses on exploring antioxidants of plant origin. Method: In this study, the antioxidant activity of hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, methanol and aqueous crude extracts of leaves and stem of Capparis moonii were evaluated by above mentioned various antioxidant assays. The various antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Ascorbic acid. Phenolic and Flavanoid content was correlated with antioxidant activity. Results: Crude extracts were found to be more effective as compared to standard antioxidants like ascorbic acid and BHT. No correlation was observed between the antioxidant activities of various extracts of leaves and stem of Capparis moonii and total phenol, flavanoid content. Conclusion: The antioxidant activities of the plant extracts largely depend on the composition, concentration of the extracts, conditions of the test system and synergestic action of secondary metaboltes.