ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF THE METHANOLIC LEAVES EXTRACT OF B RUFESCENS (LAM)
Interest in natural products as a source for innovation in drug discovery and agrochemicals is still growing worldwide. Natural products, whose immense diversity has been appreciated for many years, may become in a rich source of novel chemical structures. The present study was conducted to investigate the in-vitro antioxidant (DPPH assay) and phytochemical screening of methanol extract of B rufescens (leaves). The methanol extract of B. rufescens (leaves) was tested for antioxidant screening for their free radical scavenging properties using 2.2Di (4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), while propyl galate was used as standard antioxidant and phytochemical screening. The methanol extract of B rufescens (leaves) antioxidant activity was (81 ± 0.04 RSA%) in comparison to the control of propyl galate levels (88 ± 0.07RSA%) and Preliminary phytochemical screening of the leaves of B rufescens revealed that the plant contain triterpenes, alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids. Negative results were recorded for glycosides and coumarins. Hence, the results obtained in the present study indicate that B rufescens have promising antioxidant indicates that the plant could be promising agent in scavenging free radicals and treating diseases related to free radical reactions