Evaluation of Antioxidant Profile of Wild and Cultivated Varieties of Aegle marmelos (L) Correa Leaves Used as Anti-Diabetic Agent

Background: Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa (AM) leaf has been used as a remedy for lowering blood sugar level in traditional system of medicine in India due to the presence of various constituents such as flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids like Aegelin, Marmelosin and Luvangetin. Aim: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the total antioxidant activity of the wild variety of AM leaves from forest of Gir Somnath, Gujarat, India and cultivated variety from Central Horticultural Experiment Station, Vejalpur, Panchmahals, Gujarat to assess the role of this plant in ethanomedicine in India. Methods: The methanolic extracts of the leaves were screened for total antioxidant capacity through Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP) and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay; Total Phenol content (TPC) through spectrophotometric technique based on Folin Ciocalteau assay and for qualitative estimation of phenols, High performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used. Results: TPC of wild and cultivated variety was 76% and 6.5% respectively. FRAP values and IC value (DPPH) for wild and cultivated variety were found to be 14.65 μmol/l and 11.80μmol/l; 437 μg/ml and 620μg/ml respectively. Wild variety was found to be superior to the cultivated one. Conclusion: This study proved that the leaves of AM leaves have high antioxidant component. AM could be used as a potential preventive intervention for free radical mediated diseases such as diabetes and as neutraceutical in medicinal formulation. Further intervention trials are needed to prove the therapeutic potential of these leaves.