Evaluation of antioxidant activity of petroleum ether extract from nardostachys jatamansi using dpph and abts assay

Nardostachys jatamansi is an erect perennial herb that grows to a height of 10-60 cm, with long stout woody root stock found in Himalaya at 3,500 to 5,000 m. From the literature survey it was found that no substantial work has been carried out to isolate the phytoconstituents and to screen the an-tioxidant activity of N. jatamansi. Hence an effort has been made to carry out the phytochemical investigation and to screen the antioxidant activity by ABTS [2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay. Chemical investigation of the rhizome of N. jatamansi led to the isolation of campesterol, stigmasterol and ursolic acid from petroleum ether soluble fraction of methanolic extract. These constituents were isolated for the first time from this plant. The petroleum ether extract showed significant antioxidant activity. The activity may be due to campesterol, stigmasterol and ursolic acid. From the pharmacological studies carried out, it is evident that petroleum ether extract of N. jatamansi endowed significant antioxidant activity.