DPPH radical scavenging activity of selected sea grasses from south east coast of India

Marine ecosystem includes aquatic plants, among which seaweeds and seagrasses have more economic value. Seagrasses are marine angiosperms, completing their whole lifecycle submerged under the sea. In search of novel drugs the focus from screening terrestrial plants has recently being diverted to marine ecosysytems. The main aim of this study is to screen the selected seagrass species for DPPH radical scavenging activity. Seagrass species were extracted with polar and non polar solvents (aqueous, butanol, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether). The scavenging activity was quantified by spectrophotometric method and TLC bioautography was performed to qualitatively identify the location of the active compounds in particular fractions. This study concludes that out of 7 seagrass species out of which Thalassia hemprichii and Cymodocea serrulata showed high radical scavenging activity.