STANDARDIZATION, PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION, AND COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE DIURETIC POTENTIAL OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF ACHYRANTHES ASPERA AND AZADIRACHTA INDICA

The present study aimed to standardize and evaluate the phytochemical constituents of hydroalcoholic leaf extracts of Achyranthes aspera and Azadirachta indica and to compare their preliminary diuretic potential. The leaves were extracted using the Soxhlet extraction method, and the resulting extracts were assessed for extraction yield, organoleptic characteristics, physicochemical parameters, fluorescence properties, and phytochemical constituents. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were estimated using colorimetric methods. Diuretic activity was evaluated in experimental animals by measuring urine volume and urinary sodium, potassium, and chloride concentrations, with furosemide serving as the reference drug. The extraction yields of A. aspera and A. indica were 12.5% and 15.6%, respectively. Both extracts showed the presence of major phytochemical groups, including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, and terpenoids or steroids. The total phenolic content was 48.5 ± 1.12 mg GAE/g for A. aspera and 56.8 ± 1.35 mg GAE/g for A. indica, while the total flavonoid content was 42.6 ± 1.08 and 53.4 ± 1.22 mg QE/g, respectively. In the reported diuretic evaluation, mean urine volumes were higher in both extract-treated groups than in the vehicle control, with A. indica showing higher mean values than A. aspera at both tested dose levels. However, both extracts produced lower mean urine volumes than furosemide. These findings suggest that both plant extracts warrant further investigation for their potential diuretic activity, with A. indica showing comparatively higher preliminary responses under the reported experimental conditions.