PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF ANNONA SQUAMOSA STEM BARK EXTRACT FOR MEMORY ENHANCING ACTIVITY

The present study was carried out to evaluate the phytochemical, antioxidant, and memory enhancing activity of the stem bark extracts of annona squamosa belonging to the family Annonaceae. Memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction are commonly associated with aging and neurodegenerative disorders. Herbal medicines containing antioxidant phytoconstituents are considered beneficial in improving cognitive functions with minimal side effects. Therefore, the present investigation aimed to scientifically validate the traditional medicinal use of annona squamosa stem bark for memory enhancement. The collected plant material was authenticated and subjected to pharmacognostic and physicochemical evaluation for standardization and quality assessment. Successive solvent extraction of the powdered stem bark was carried out using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and ethanol by soxhlet extraction method. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids, tannins, phenolic compounds, proteins, and carbohydrates in the extracts. Quantitative estimation of total phenolic content (tpc) and total flavonoid content (tfc) was performed using standard methods. The ethanol extract showed higher phenolic and flavonoid content compared to the ethyl acetate extract. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using the dpph free radical scavenging assay, where both extracts exhibited significant concentration dependent antioxidant activity. Among the extracts, the ethanol extract demonstrated comparatively higher antioxidant potential.