A comparative phytochemical investigation and antioxidant activity of Quisqualis indica L

Abstract

Quisqualis indica L. is an herbaceous plant with many active ingredients that function as antioxidants and anticancer agents. Traditional medicine has long employed Quisqualis indica L. as an anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, and anti-diabetic plant. The study aims to compare the antioxidant activity of leaves and flowers. By employing a particular reagent, a qualitative examination revealed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. Flavonoids and phenolic compounds were isolated from leaves and flowers such as hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, catechin, Rutin, kaempferol, and sinapic acid. According to the HPLC analysis, flowers contain a higher percentage of flavonoids and phenolic compounds than leaves. For the ascorbic acid, the antioxidant activity shows that the plant has significant inhibition activity against free radicals in both the leaves and the flowers, and the flowers are more active than the leaves. Also, the antioxidant activity increases with increasing concentration from 25 to 400 mg mL^-1; the IC₅₀ values for the flowers were 100 µg mL^-1 and 200 µg mL^-1 for the leaves.