Phytochemicals, Antioxidant Activity and characterization Studies in the Plant Extracts of Angiopteris evecta (G. Forst.) Hoffm. (Marattiaceae) from Western Ghats

In the present study, phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of extracts from the Oriental vessel fern, Angiopteris evecta (G. Forst.) Hoffm., was investigated by various in-vitro methods. The fronds of A. evecta were collected during the month of November 2020. The sample was shade dried and powdered. The powdered sample was extracted with ethyl acetate, methanol, and water according to the standard protocol. Preliminary phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of terpenoids, tannins, steroids, reducing sugars, saponins and cardiac glycosides in the extracts. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the estimation of total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity. Folin-Ciocalteau (FC) method was used to determine the total phenolic content present in the extracts of A. evecta using Gallic acid as standard. The methanol extract of leaves recorded highest total phenolic content of 285.2 µg GAE/g followed by the aqueous extract (263.87 µg GAE/g). 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method was employed to measure the radical scavenging potentials. High radical scavenging activity was detected in the ethyl acetate extract (IC50= 88.23 µg/mL). Further, the leaf extracts was subjected to Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS) which detected and confirmed the presence of saponin components such as Solasurine, Khasianine, Neohecogenin, Alliospiroside C and Maslinic acid. This investigation for the first time describes the characterization of saponin components from the leaf ethyl acetate solvent by LC-MS.