Comparative evaluation of antioxidant potential of Ashwagandha arishta and self generated alcoholic preparation of Withania somnifera Dunal

Self generated alcohol containing preparations like asavas and arishtas are mentioned for various ailments in Ayurveda, a well known traditional system of medicine in India. Arishtas are polyherbal preparations and ashwagandha arishta contains ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal) (Solanaceae) as major ingredient along with other 26 herbal ingredients in minor proportions. The current study involved comparative antioxidant screening of ashwagandha arishta (AA), self generated alcoholic preparation of ashwagandha (SGAA) and alcoholic extract of ashwagandha (AAE). Inhibition of oxygen-derived free radicals, viz., assays for DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power, superoxide anion scavenging and anti-lipid peroxidation were performed and both SGAA and AA showed better activity than AAE in all the in vitro assays when compared with the standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole and α- tocopherol acetate. Antioxidant potential of the preparations (SGAA and AA) was also studied against in vivo allyl alcohol induced oxidative stress. Allyl alcohol treatment caused a significant increase in liver weight, liver volume along with increase in levels of liver marker enzymes AST and ALT which was better reverted by SGAA and AA than AAE treatment. A blank preparation (BP) was used along with AA and SGAA in all the in vitro assays and allyl alcohol induced oxidative stress to evaluate the effect of other components. The results obtained suggest that SGAA and AA showed anti-lipid peroxidative, free-radical scavenging property and ameliorated the liver damage by an increase in antioxidant enzymes activities which was confirmed by histopathology studies. Table 1. In vitro antioxidant activity of SGAA and AA

Samples	Dose (µL/mL)	DPPH free-radical (% inhibition)	Reducing power activity (absorbance)a	Superoxide anion scavenging activity (% inhibition)	Anti-lipid peroxidation (% inhibition)
BP	10	20.64±1.22	0.089	10.55±0.46	14.21±0.74
	50	59.96±0.68	0.299	21.48±0.93	53.58±0.85
SGAA	10	50.55±0.74	0.157	23.13±0.89	38.35±0.76
	50	91.87±1.09	0.502	52.61±1.09	90.68±0.64
AA	10	58.38±1.02	0.136	24.35±0.74	49.27±0.79
	50	93.11±0.93	0.539	54.82±0.87	92.42±1.33

Acknowledgements: The Vice-chancellor, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune and The Indian Pharmaceutical Association, Mumbai, India, for financial assistance in the form of IPA-IRF fellowship to carryout this work.