Oxidative stress and its related biological damage
have been proposed to be involved in the development
and maintenance of disease (Navarro-Arevalo et al.,
1999). Consequently; the use of medicinal plants
exhibiting antioxidative activity in the treatment and
management of disease has been on the increase in
recent times (Poumorad et al., 2006). In the living
organisms the first line of defense against free radical is
the oxidative stress enzymes Superoxide Dismutase
(SOD). Endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as SOD
and catalase have been reported to reduce the free
radical formation and prevent oxidative damage (Yang
et al., 2008).