Abstract
Cassia fistula Linn., popularly referred as ‘Golden Shower' tree, has been a treasure trove of healing compounds in various traditional medicines across Asia for centuries. The pods of Cassia fistula house an impressive array of biologically active compounds which modern medicine eagerly seeks to harness for their remarkable medical benefits. In this study, we have investigated phytochemical, antioxidative and inflammation reducing activity of methanolic extracts of pods of Cassia. fistula. The phytochemical analysis confirmed the existence of various essential phytochemicals. Quantitative analysis showed the total phenolic content to be 1.13 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram of dry weight (DW), while the flavonoid content was found to be 2.77 mg of rutin per gram of DW. The saponin and alkaloid content was reported to be 0.32mg/g DW and 4.61mg/g DW respectively. Antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay, where the extract demonstrated 54.43% radical scavenging activity at a concentration of 150 µg/mL. Additionally, the FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) assay indicated a reducing potential of 0.86 mM Fe²⁺ equivalents per gram of sample at concentration of 250 µg/mL. The anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated through inhibition of protein denaturation and red blood cell membrane stabilization assays. The extract exhibited dose dependent inhibition of heat-induced albumin denaturation, achieving the highest inhibition of 84.71% at 150 µg/mL. Similarly, at the same concentration, the extract showed 85.18% inhibition of heat-induced haemolysis, indicating its membrane-protective effects. The experimental data obtained for these activities of the extracts were further analyzed with in-silico tools using molecular docking and pharmacokinetic studies.

Key words: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, Cassia fistula pods, Lipinski rule, Molecular docking, phytochemicals