Comparative Study on Phytochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Gmelina arborea Roxb. From four Different Geographical Regions

In the present study, leaf, bark, twig and root samples of Gmelina arborea (Family: Verbenaceae) are taken from four different geographical regions in and around Tamil Nadu. The samples were subjected to Soxhlet extraction with Methanol (MeOH) and n-Hexane. They were screened for the presence of phytochemicals and their respective concentrations were estimated and compared. Antioxidant activities of the selected samples were tested using 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) Assay and Metal Chelation Assay. When compared to n-Hexane, All the samples of Methanol extract showed good concentrations of secondary metabolites, especially high phenol content (8.4- 4.4 mg/ml of MeOH extract). There were significant amounts of Alkaloids (2.6-0.1 mg/ml), Tannins (3- 0.1 mg/ml) and Saponins (8.2-0.2 mg/ml) though their concentration ranges were highly varying from sample to sample. The radical scavenging activity was stable and significant in all the samples from Area-3 and 4 with B3M the highest (71.51%). On a comparative scale, G.arborea samples from Area-3 and 4 (Farmers’ plantations) showed a good amount of phytochemicals and antioxidant potential thus forming a good line of trees for selection and breeding.