Phytochemical profiling and evaluation of antioxidant potential of Achyranthes aspera(prickly chaff flower) seed extract

The present study investigated the phytochemical profile and antioxidant potential of Achyranthes aspera (prickly chaff flower) seed extract.Freshly mature dried seeds were collected from around Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India, and an ethanolic extract was prepared using Soxhlet extraction.Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of multiple compounds, including alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, glycosides, steroids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Antioxidant capacity was examined using three distinct radical scavenging assays: DPPH, ABTS, and H2O2. The ethanolic extract demonstrated potent antioxidant effects, with IC50 values of 26.586, 28.2641, and 15.7931 μg/mL.Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified key bioactive compounds, such as n-hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, and saponins, contributing to the plant’s antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties.High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to quantify the presence of triterpenoid compounds in the extract.These findings suggest that A. aspera seed extract is a rich source of bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant potential, supporting its traditional use in herbal medicine, and indicating its potential for pharmaceutical development.