Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant properties of Urtica urens

Abstract

Urtica urens finds therapeutic applications in the traditional medicine. Chloroform extract from leaves, ethyl acetate extract from leaves, methanolic extract from leaves, chloroform extract from stem-bark, ethyl acetate extract from stem-bark, methanolic extract from stem-bark were prepared separately from U. urens by maceration techniques. The presence of flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, tannins, phlobatannins, terpenoids, saponins, steroids, anthocyanins and coumarins classes of compounds were identified in these extracts by phytochemical analysis. These extracts showed 7.00±0.00 to 96.55±2.43% of hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. These extracts also showed varying IC50 values in the hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. The methanolic extract from stem-bark has lowest IC50 value of <25µg/mL and the IC50 value of positive control ascorbic acid was found to be 36.92µg/mL. The ferric reducing power of these extracts was in the range of 0.138±0.020 to 1.21±0.0 9 at 700nm. Additionally, the total flavonoid contents and total phenolic contents of these extracts were determined to be 6.02±1.21 to 31.57±0.67mg QE/g and 18.72±056 to 131.67±2.04mg GAE/g, respectively. From this study, we conclude that U. urens have various classes of phytochemicals with antioxidant potential.