The antioxidant, iron chelating and DNA protective properties of 70% methanolic extract of 'katha' (heartwood extract of Acacia catechu)

The present study was carried out to determine the antioxidant and iron chelating property of 70% methanolic extract of 'katha' (heartwood extract of Acacia catechu). The extract was found to be an antioxidant with a TEAC value of 0.72 ± 0.02. The extract has shown its scavenging activity for different radical and 17.8 ± 0.63 μg/ml, 39.55 ± 1.36 μg/ml, 55.31 ± 7.12 μg/ml, 746.85 ± 30.46 μg/ml, 44.2 ± 4.48 mg/ml, 57.5 ± 4.23 μg/ml, 155.48 ± 3.78 μg/ml were determined as IC₅₀ value for DPPH, superoxide, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen and hypochlorous acid radicals, respectively. The plant was found to inhibit lipid peroxidation with an IC ₅₀ of 12.35 ± 0.43 μg/ml. The extract also has the ability to chelate iron with an IC₅₀ of 810.8 ± 20.74 μg/ml as well as DNA protective property with [P]50 of 60.44 ± 5.73 μg/ml. It was also observed that the plant extract (100 mg) has 97.13 ± 0.006 mg/ml gallic acid equivalent phenolic and 383.66 ± 0.014 mg/ml quercetin equivalent flavonoid content. In a word, the present results provide evidence that 70% methanol extract of 'katha' acts as an antioxidant, iron chelator and DNA protector which is partly due to the phenolic and flavonoid compounds present in it.