IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND TOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF HERBAL HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS, CLAIMED AS ANTIOXIDANT BOOSTERS, FROM LOCAL MARKETS OF LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Our present work was aimed to evaluate in vitro ant-ioxidant potential and cytotoxicity of few locally synthesised herbal health supplements, claimed as antioxidant boosters. Six different samples were collected from famous traditional herbal medicine shops of Lahore, Pakistan. Antioxidant activities of all these synthesized Health supplements were determined by 2,2--diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl method (DPPH), TAC antioxidant assay, Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) assay, and Anti- lipid peroxidation, LPO method. Toxicity study of the Health supplements was also evaluated by Brine Shrimps Toxicity Bioassay (BSLT). Although all the samples are claimed as “Antioxidant boosters” but percentage antioxidant index (%AI) of all the samples was not the same. Supplement Hs5 showed maximum antioxidant activity. The decreasing order of activity of the supplements was: Hs5 (72%) > Hs4 (63%) > Hs2 (42%) > Hs6 (33%) > Hs3 (25%) > Hs1 (21%). Further these supplements showed remarkable variations in their antioxidant potential when samples were analyzed by different assays. All these health supplements did not show significant toxicity at test concentration. Our results reveals that local health supplements are potential source of natural antioxidants and are safe to use at test concentration. This may also justify the use of these supplements for the cure of oxidative stress.