Evaluation of Cassia tora Seeds for their Antioxidant and Antiulcer Activity

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant potential using various in vitro methods by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and Hydrogen peroxide. Antiulcerogenic effect of methanolic Cassia tora seed extract was evaluated by pyloric ligation and non-steroidal anti inflammatory induced mucosal damage on Wistar Albino rats. The phytochemical screening shows the presence of various phytoconstituents belonging to class of alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids and steroids. The extract showed maximum antioxidant activity i.e., 76.350.52 and 70.170.14 by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and Hydrogen peroxide at the dose of 200 g mL-1, respectively as compared to the standard (ascorbic acid). Further, antiulcer activity was assessed in which the experimental animals were divided into five groups categorized as control, standard, normal and two extract treated groups. Various biochemical parameters such as gastric volume, free and total acidity was recorded from all groups. The reduction of ulcer index as well as gastric acid output in extract treated animals was found to be statistically significant with respect to control animals. The extract exhibited optimum percentage inhibition of 75% by pyloric ligation and 70.31% by non-steroidal anti inflammatory induced ulcer method at concentration of 200 g mL-1, respectively which was comparable to standard (ranitidine). Cassia tora Linn. is well known traditional plant used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. The present study suggests that Cassia tora seed extract possessed potent anti-ulcerogenic properties that might be afforded via cytoprotective mechanism by virtue of its antioxidant properties. These results supported the ethnomedical uses of Cassia tora seeds in the treatment of antiulcer.