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The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical, nitric oxide, reducing power, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and total antioxidant activities of the methanol extract, n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol and aqueous fractions of the seed of Telfairia occidentalis were evaluated. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The dichloromethane fraction exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power and total antioxidant activities. Two pure compounds which were identified by FTIR, H-and 2D NMR and Mass spectroscopy as 9-octadecenoic acid (TOS B) and 10-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid (TOS C) and four oily isolates, TOS A, TOS D, TOS E and TOS F were obtained from the dichloromethane fraction. TOS E had the highest DPPH radical scavening activity comparable to that of ascorbic acid. GC-MS analysis revealed the major compounds in TOS E as 4-(2,2-Dimethyl-6-methylene cyclohexylidene)-2-butanol; 3-(3-hydroxybutyl)-2,4,4-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1-one and 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid disooctyl ester. Thus, the seed of T. occidentalis can be consumed for its antioxidant property.

Emilia sonchifolia (L.) D.C. is a medicinal plant from the family Asteraceae known for a wide range of ethnomedicinal uses such as management of inflammatory diseases, pains, cancer, diabetes, cataract, asthma and liver disease. This research was aimed at assessing the antioxidant potential and quantitative determination of phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract and fractions of Emilia sonchifolia leaves. The leaves of the plant were processed, extracted and partitioned successively and exhaustively with dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate. Phytochemical screening was carried out on the methanol extract using standard methods. Antioxidant evaluation of the methanol extract and fractions of Emilia sonchifolia leaves was carried out using Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay and 2, 2, diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Quantitative determination of total phenolic content and total flavonoid content was done. The extraction and partitioning yielded the crude extract and respective fractions. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides. Antioxidant evaluation of the crude extract and fractions of the plant exhibited significant (p<0.001) antioxidant activity in both assay though not comparable with the standard agent, ascorbic acid. In DPPH assay, the highest percentage inhibition was observed in ethyl acetate fraction (62%) followed by the extract (61%), DCM fraction (55%) and aqueous fractions (54%) at 100 µg/mL. In FRAP assay, the highest reducing power was exhibited by ethyl acetate fraction (0.457 nm) followed by the extract (0.444 nm), DCM fraction (0.441 nm) and aqueous fraction (0.439 nm). Although these activities were significant, they were not comparable to that of the standard drug ascorbic acid (0.914 nm). In total phenolic content assay ethyl acetate fraction had the highest phenolic content (5.804 mg/g), followed by crude extract (2.500 mg/g). The total flavonoid content was observed to be highest in ethyl acetate fraction (10.556 mg/g), followed by crude extract (4.444 mg/g). From this research work it was observed that Emilia sonchifolia leaves have a good antioxidant activity which could be responsible for its wide range of ethnomedicinal activities and this lends scientific credence for the use of this plant in the management of disease conditions.

Mucuna urens is a shrub from the family of Fabaceae. It is claimed by the local people in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria to weaken the penis and reduce sexual performance in men. This work was designed to study the effects of methanol extract of Mucuna urens on the sexual behaviour and sperm parameters of male albino rats. For the sexual behaviour experiment, 30 sexually mature male rats were used weighing (130-188 g). Animals were divided into 5 groups of 6 animals each. Group 1 received 5 mg/kg of tween 80, groups II, III and IV received the low dose (500 mg/kg), middle dose (1000 mg/kg) and high dose (1500 mg/kg) of the extract respectively while group V received 1 mg/kg of testosterone for seven days. Females used for the experiment received 17-β estradiol (8 µg/kg body weight) and progesterone (500 µg/kg body weight) 48 hours and 4 hours respectively prior to the experiment. For the sperm analysis, 30 male albino rats weighing (130 -176 g) were used. Animals were divided into 5 groups of 6 animals each. The first group received 5 mg/kg of tween 80, groups II, III and IV received low dose (500 mg/kg), middle dose (1000 mg/kg) and high dose (1500 mg/kg) of the extract respectively for 14 days. Group V received 1 mg/kg of testosterone twice weekly. Animals were sacrificed and the sperm was analysed. The extract altered significantly some of the parameters of sexual behaviour which include an increase in mount latency and a decrease in intromission latency when compared to the negative control and positive control group. There was a dose dependent decrease in mount frequency and intromission latency. There was a decrease in the post ejaculatory interval of the extract group compared to the negative control and positive control group. There was a distortion in sperm morphology resulting in sperms with curved and bent necks and sperms with a slender body. The observed effects may in part be due to the presence of the different phytochemical constituents in the seed.

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