IN-VITRO COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF MANGO LEAF (MANGIFERA INDICA) AND UNRIPE PLANTAIN (MUSA PARADISIACA)

ABSTRACT This study conducted an in-vitro comparative evaluation of the antioxidant properties of ethanolic extracts of Mangifera indica (mango) leaf and unripe Musa paradisiaca (plantain) fruit. The plant materials were collected, authenticated, and extracted using 80% ethanol. The antioxidant potential was assessed using three established assays: DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) scavenging, with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ascorbic acid as standard antioxidants. The results demonstrated that both extracts exhibited significant, concentration-dependent antioxidant activity across all assays. However, the standard antioxidants consistently showed superior efficacy. In the DPPH assay, the M. indica and M. paradisiaca extracts achieved maximum inhibitions of approximately 40-60% and 55%, respectively, compared to nearly 90% for the standards. A similar trend was observed in the ABTS and H₂O₂ scavenging assays, where both plant extracts displayed moderate but appreciable radical neutralization capacity, reaching up to 55-60% inhibition at the highest concentration (1000 µg/mL). The findings conclusively indicate that while the ethanolic extracts of both mango leaf and unripe plantain possess notable free radical scavenging abilities, their potency is less than that of synthetic standards. This validates their traditional use and positions them as promising natural sources of antioxidants with potential applications in mitigating oxidative stress-related ailments