ABSTRACT:
Antioxidant properties of many medicinal plants have been widely recognized and some of them have been commercially exploited. Plant derived antioxidants play a very important role in alleviating problems related to oxidative stress. Plants contain a wide variety of free radical scavenging molecules like flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, dietary glutathione, vitamins and endogenous metabolites are rich in antioxidant activities. Spermacoce hispida Linn (Rubiaceae), is a medicinal plant traditionally used to remove signs of old age, purify blood and improve vitality. The study was conducted to evaluate the potential antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of leaf of S. hispida Linn. In the present study S.hispida ethanolic leaf extract was evaluated for its nitric oxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anion radicals and reducing power assay using ascorbic acid as standard. The anti-proliferative activity of S. hispida with cisplatin, anticancer drug was evaluated in human ovarian cancer cell line PA 1 was measured by MTT assay. This extract preferentially inhibited the growth of the cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. The result clearly indicate that S. hispida is rich in good source of antioxidants. The S. hispida plant fulfilled its promise to inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. These results clearly indicate that S.hispida is effective against free radical mediated diseases.