A Physicochemical Investigation on the Interaction of Aloe vera Extracts with Ascorbic Acid and Deoxyribonucleic Acid

The Aloe vera contain numerous minerals, vitamins and minerals with emollient, laxative, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, aphrodisiac, hermetic, antifungal, antiseptic and cosmetic health care values due to the presence of many biologically active constituents. Because of these properties, it is considered necessary to further investigate its medicinal efficacy through chemical and physicochemical studies of extracts in solution. Therefore, in the current research project we aimed to explore the medicinal characteristics/potential of the extract of Aloe vera by studying various solution properties from physicochemical point of view and to explore the interactions of its extract with some biomolecules such as Vitamin C and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). First, the leaves of Aloe Vera plant were collected and then their alcoholic extract was prepared. Then, the extract was studied for its various physicochemical properties in solutions, and its interaction with Ascorbic acid and DNA. These parameters were investigated in solutions by employing density, viscosity, surface tension and UV-Visible spectroscopy etc., measurements at various concentrations and temperatures. For the physicochemical studies of the aqueous solutions of extract, with and without DNA, various concentrations of extract solutions such as 0.5‒5% were used at various temperatures. In case physicochemical measurements, a solution containing 50 µM DNA was used as solvent while the concentration of extract in the mixture was varied. However, the UV-Visible procedure was carried out by maintaining the extract concentration at 1% while altering the DNA concentration in the range of 20‒200 µM. A similar approach was also employed for the interaction study of Ascorbic acid with extract. Based on the outcomes, it may be said that the binding of the extract with DNA and/or Vitamin C be of physicochemical nature and the dominating binding force be of hydrogen bonding between the oxygen/OH groups of the compounds present in the crude plant extract and hydrogen of DNA units.