Phytochemical Screening And Antioxidant Activity Of Euryale Ferox Leaf Extract: An Untapped Botanical Resource
Keywords:
Euryale ferox, DPPH, antioxidant, leaf extract, polyphenols, radical scavengingAbstract
Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. Euryale ferox, traditionally recognized for its nutritional and medicinal properties, has been extensively studied for its seeds, while its leaves remain largely unexplored. This study investigates the antioxidant potential of E. ferox leaf extract using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Leaves were collected, shade-dried, and extracted with 70% ethanol. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring DPPH radical scavenging, with ascorbic acid as the reference standard. The extract exhibited a concentration-dependent free radical scavenging effect. The IC₅₀ value of the E. ferox leaf extract was found to be 71.18 ± 0.0691 µg/mL compared to 19.21±0.051 µg/mL, for ascorbic acid, indicating moderate to strong antioxidant activity. These results suggest that E. ferox leaves contain significant levels of polyphenolic and flavonoid compounds responsible for their antioxidant activity, supporting their potential use as a natural antioxidant in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations.
Downloads
References
Sharifi-Rad M, Anil Kumar N V., Zucca P, Varoni EM, Dini L, Panzarini E, et al. Lifestyle, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidants: Back and Forth in the Pathophysiology of Chronic Diseases. Front Physiol. 2020;11(July):1–21.
Pooja G, Shweta S, Patel P. Oxidative stress and free radicals in disease pathogenesis: a review. Discov Med [Internet]. 2025;2(1). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44337-025-00303-y
Holmstrup P, Damgaard C, Olsen I, Klinge B, Flyvbjerg A, Nielsen CH, et al. Comorbidity of periodontal disease: two sides of the same coin? An introduction for the clinician. J Oral Microbiol. 2017;9(1):1332710.
Jena AB, Samal RR, Bhol NK, Duttaroy AK. Cellular Red-Ox system in health and disease: The latest update. Biomed Pharmacother [Internet]. 2023;162:114606. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332223003943
Jomova K, Raptova R, Alomar SY, Alwasel SH, Nepovimova E, Kuca K, et al. Reactive oxygen species, toxicity, oxidative stress, and antioxidants: chronic diseases and aging. Arch Toxicol. 2023 Oct;97(10):2499–574.
Ullah A, Munir S, Badshah SL, Khan N, Ghani L, Poulson BG, et al. Important Flavonoids and Their Role as a Therapeutic Agent. Molecules [Internet]. 2020;25(22). Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/22/5243
. Maury GL, Rodríguez DM, Hendrix S, Arranz JCE, Boix YF, Pacheco AO, et al. Antioxidants in Plants: A Valorization Potential Emphasizing the Need for the Conservation of Plant Biodiversity in Cuba. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). 2020 Oct;9(11).
. Farag RS, Abdel-Latif MS, Abd El Baky HH, Tawfeek LS. Phytochemical screening and antioxidant activity of some medicinal plants’ crude juices. Biotechnol Reports [Internet]. 2020;28:e00536. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215017X20306202
. Xu D-P, Li Y, Meng X, Zhou T, Zhou Y, Zheng J, et al. Natural Antioxidants in Foods and Medicinal Plants: Extraction, Assessment and Resources. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Jan;18(1).
Kumar A, Yadav PK, Paras N, Nath S, Kumari U. Euryale ferox Salisb. is an Immense Potential Aquatic Cash Fruit Crop: A Review. Int J Adv Agric Sci Technol. 2016;3(3):35–49.
. Das S, Der P, Raychaudhuri U, Maulik N, Das DK. The effect of Euryale ferox (Makhana), an herb of aquatic origin, on myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury. Mol Cell Biochem. 2006 Sep;289(1–2):55–63.
. Gogoi P, Sharma P, Goudar G, Mahajan A, Ananthan R, Singh M, et al. Evaluating free-bound polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant properties of pigmented maize landraces. Food Chem Adv [Internet]. 2025;7:101006. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772753X25001224
AL Zahrani NA, El-Shishtawy RM, Asiri AM. Recent developments of gallic acid derivatives and their hybrids in medicinal chemistry: A review. Eur J Med Chem [Internet]. 2020;204:112609. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S022352342030581X
. Shahidi F, Zhong Y. Measurement of antioxidant activity. J Funct Foods [Internet]. 2015;18:757–81. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464615000511
Ismail R, Tannous JH. Investigation of the free radical stability of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl upon storage in hydrogen- and electron–donning solvents at different temperatures. Case Stud Chem Environ Eng [Internet]. 2025;11:101207. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016425001148
. Patil ND, Bains A, Sridhar K, Sharma M, Dhull SB, Goksen G, et al. Recent advances in the analytical methods for quantitative determination of antioxidants in food matrices. Food Chem [Internet]. 2025;463:141348. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814624029984
. Wu C, Chen R, Wang XS, Shen B, Yue W, Wu Q. Antioxidant and anti-fatigue activities of phenolic extract from the seed coat of Euryale ferox Salisb. and identification of three phenolic compounds by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Molecules. 2013 Sep;18(9):11003–21.
Lee SE, Ju EM, Kim JH. Antioxidant activity of extracts from Euryale ferox seed. Exp Mol Med. 2002 May;34(2):100–6.
. Dhore SB, Ghatpande KS, Barabole AH, Ahire RS. EXPLORING THE DIVERSE ACTIVITIES OF VITEX NEGUNDO : A COMPREHENSIVE. 2024;12(4):49–54.
Kiranmai VS, Kumar PK, Rajesham V V., Rao TR. Extraction Methods and Pharmacological Importance of Clitoria ternatea Plant. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2023;83(2):99–105.
. Devi OR, Moirangthem L, Keithellakpam OS, Sharma N, Singh KB. Phytochemical Screening and Evaluation of Antioxidant Potential in Euryale ferox Salisb. and Eupatorium birmanicum DC. of Manipur, India. Pharmacogn J. 2024 Dec;16:1231–7.
Baliyan S, Mukherjee R, Priyadarshini A, Vibhuti A, Gupta A, Pandey RP, et al. Determination of Antioxidants by DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity and Quantitative Phytochemical Analysis of Ficus religiosa. Molecules. 2022 Feb;27(4).
. Bibi Sadeer N, Montesano D, Albrizio S, Zengin G, Mahomoodally MF. The Versatility of Antioxidant Assays in Food Science and Safety-Chemistry, Applications, Strengths, and Limitations. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). 2020 Aug;9(8).
. Guleria S, Tiku AK, Koul A, Gupta S, Singh G, Razdan VK. Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the essential oil and extracts of Zanthoxylum alatum grown in north-western Himalaya. ScientificWorldJournal. 2013;2013:790580.
Di Bella CE, Censi R, Zara S, Di Martino P, Gigliobianco MR. Activation of polyphenolic compounds as new ingredients for sustainable cosmetic formulation. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol [Internet]. 2025;108:106918. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1773224725003211
. Phytochemical Screening and Quantitative Determination of Phytochemicals in Leaf Extracts of Hannoa undulata. Int J Med Plants Nat Prod. 2018;4(2):32–8.
Singh R, Sharma S, Sharma V. Comparative and quantitative analysis of antioxidant and scavenging potential of Indigofera tinctoria Linn. extracts. J Integr Med. 2015 Jul;13(4):269–78..
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
