Phytochemicals and antioxidant activity in the kenaf plant (Hibiscus cannabinus L.)

Abstract

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Abstract Chemical compounds from four different tissues of the kenaf plant (Hibiscus cannabinus), a valuable medicinal crop originating from Africa, were examined to determine its potential for use as a new drug material. Leaves, bark, flowers, and seeds were harvested to identify phytochemical compounds and measure antioxidant activities. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analyses identified 22 different phytocompounds in hexane extracts of the different parts of the kenaf plant. The most abundant volatile compounds were E-phytol (32.4%), linolenic acid (47.3%), trisiloxane-1,1,1,5,5,5-hexamethyl-3,3-bis[(trimethylsilyl)oxy] (16.4%), and linoleic acid (46.4%) in leaves, bark, flowers, and seeds, respectively. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography identified the major compounds in the different parts of the kenaf plant as kaemperitrin, caffeic acid, myricetin glycoside, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid in leaves, bark, flowers, and seeds, respectively. Water extracts of flowers, leaves, and seeds exhibited the greatest DPPH radical scavenging activity and SOD activity. Our analyses suggest that water is the optimal solvent, as it extracted the greatest quantity of functional compounds with the highest levels of antioxidant activity. These results provide valuable information for the development of environmentally friendly natural products for the pharmaceutical industry.

Morphological characteristics, chemical and genetic diversity of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinusL.) genotypes

“…The leaf has been reported to be anodyne, aperitif, aphrodisiacal, fattening, purgative, and stomachic and has long been used as a traditional medicine in Africa and India (Kubmarawa et al, 2009;Alexopoulou et al 2013;Jin et al, 2013). The leaf contains large amounts of polyphenols, tannins, and other mineral compounds (Kobaisy et al, 2001;Ryu et al, 2017a). Most of the medicinal benefits attributed to kenaf are due to the presence of phenolic compounds (Jin et al 2013;Zhao et al 2014;Ryu et al 2017).…”

“…These results could be used for the selection of kenaf cultivars with improved yield and functional compounds. (Jin et al 2013;Ryu et al 2017a). …”

“…The most common phenolic compounds in kenaf are the kaempferol glycoside, caffeic acid, myricetin glycoside, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (Ryu et al 2017a). In ayurvedic medicine, the kenaf are used for bilious, blood, diabetes, biliousness, coughs and throat disorders (Alexopoulou et al 2013;Ryu et al 2017a This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.…”

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Seed and its Potential Food Applications: A Review

“…Essential oils have been recognized as natural antimicrobials they are formed as aromatic plants of secondary metabolites, complex, volatile, and often characterized by a strong odor (Bakkali, Averbeck, Averbeck, & Idaomar, ). Phytol, a phytocompound present in kenaf (Ryu et al., ) has been proven to exhibit antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Colletotrichum accutatum , Colletotrichum fragariae , and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides by destroying the cell membranes leading to seeping out of potassium ions from bacterial cells (Kobaisy et al., ; Inoue et al., ; Nandagopalan et al., ). Hexadecanoic acid, a saturated fatty acid present in kenaf seed oil has been reported as a potent antimicrobial substitute (Kobaisy et al., ; Ebije, Oladipupo, Lawal, & Isiaka, ).…”

“…Figure shows the major constituents of kenaf plant and their individual composition. Due to the nutritional and phytochemical compounds present in the distinct parts of kenaf plant most especially the seed and the leaf (Alexopoulou et al., ; Jin et al., ; Ryu et al., ; Odetola & Erubvetine, ; Nandagopalan, Johnson Gritto, & Doss, ; Obouayeba, Diarrassouba, Soumahin, & Kouakou, ; Ryu et al., ), they could be used as potential ingredients or major components in food products such as appetizer, food fortificants, antioxidant factors, aphrodisiacs, nutraceuticals, and other technological applications (Alexopoulou et al., ; Khare, ; Kubmarawa et al., ). Also, due to the important chemical constituents, phytocompounds and antioxidants in kenaf seed (Chan & Ismail, ; Holser, Bost, & Van Boven, ; Kim et al., ; Kim, Tsao, Yang, & Cui, ; Michotte et al., ), several efforts have been made by researchers to exploit the bio‐active compounds and other potential functional properties of the seed in the production of highly nutritious food products.…”