The study evaluated the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of three North East Indian
ethnomedicinal vegetables viz., Oxalis corniculata, Portulaca oleraceae, and Polygonum microcephalum
by cyclic voltammetry and agar well diffusion method respectively. The antioxidative effects have been
evaluated by monitoring the change of the oxidation potential in the redox cycle of 1,4-diaminobenzene
in presence of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the plants. 1,4-Diaminobenzene exhibits
two reversible redox cycles with E1/2 at 218 mV and 535 mV in DMF with the oxidation waves due to
formation of a radical cation and a diiminium dication respectively. In the presence of plant extracts, the
oxidation waves were delayed and the radical cation was scavenged, and disappearance of the second
oxidant waves in the cyclic voltammograms. Additionally, the methanol extracts demonstrated
antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These findings suggest the
potential of these vegetables as natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents.
Keywords: Antioxidant; Ethnomedicinal Vegetables; Cyclic Voltammetry; Agar Well Diffusion;