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Abstract

Sida acuta is one of the medically active plants used for the treatment of multifaceted diseases. However, an elaborated investigation on the phytochemical composition of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of this plant is yet to be deciphered. So, in this quantification of phytochemicals, in-vitro free radical scavenging activity, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant levels in the fresh leaves, HPTLC fingerprinting and GC-MS analysis in the ethanolic extract of Sida acuta leaves were done. In-vitro antioxidant activities were assayed using DPPH, ABTS, nitric oxide, hydroxyl radical and ferric ions, while ascorbic acid is used as the standard. The results indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenols, and alkaloids in a reasonably good amount which has substantiated the results of HPTLC. All the tested antioxidants were present prominently in the leaves, specifically catalase and glutathione peroxidase, which may be responsible for the prominent radical scavenging tendency of the extract against the tested free radicals. The GC-MS analysis observed the presence of 35 different compounds each belonging to different classes such as sterols, flavonoids, terpenes, heterocyclic aromatic compounds, phenols, fatty acids, vitamins, alkaloids, and sesquiterpenoids. The results indicate that the ethanolic extract of Sida acuta leaves collected from the Tuticorin District of Tamil Nadu is an effective scavenger of free radicals and has the potential to be used as a natural antioxidant which is attributable to the rich presence of its secondary metabolites.