Radical Scavenging activity and phytochemical screening of the leaf extract of Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach. & Thonn.) Daniell

Abstract

Antioxidants are chemicals that possess bioactive constituents which usually allow them to fight against free radicals. Antioxidant and phytochemicals properties of the leaves of Synsepalum dulcificum were investigated using ethyl-acetate, ethanol and methanol extracts. 2, 2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total flavonoid and the total phenolic content was carried out. The phytochemical screening assay was done on the following: Alkaloids, saponin, flavonoids, tannin, anthraquinones, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and phlobatannin using the test solvent extracts. The results gotten for antioxidant revealed that methanol gave the highest extract yield (17.4%) while ethyl-acetate extract had the least yield (5.0%). At 250 μg/ml extract concentration, the methanolic extract gave the highest amount with the IC50 values (89.94 μg/ml), followed by ethanol extract (68.20 μg/ml)) while ethyl acetate extract had the least scavenging activity of (39.21 μg/ml), and these were significantly different (P<0.05). Total antioxidant activity (ascorbic acid equivalent) at 250 μg/ml of S. dulcificum ranged from 41.7 AAE in ethyl-acetate extract to 58.98 AAE in methanol extract. Furthermore, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of the leaf extracts revealed that at 250 μg/ml extract concentration, methanol extract had the highest (0.29μmolFe2+/g) reduction potential, followed by ethanol extract (0.28μmolFe2+/g) and ethyl-acetate extract (0.26μmolFe2+/g). The total phenolic content of the extracts ranged from 0.02μg/ml TAE–0.09μg/ml TAE at 1000μg/ml extract concentration while the total flavonoid content ranged from 0.32mg/g QE in ethyl-acetate extract to 14.38mg/g QE in methanol extract. This study suggests that S. dulcificum extract exhibit great potential antioxidant ability that could fight against oxidative stress.

A comprehensive review on chemical and pharmacological potential of Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach. & Thonn.) Daniell

“…The leaf and fruit extracts of Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach. & Thonn) Daniell contained carbohydrate 40.38 and 17.44%, crude fibre 17.58 and 3.63%, crude protein 8.42 and 10.46%, crude fat 1.97 and 2.32%, ash content 2.87 and 3.95% and moisture content 28.78 and 62.40% respectively) (Awotedu & Ogunbamowo, 2019a;Awotedu & Ogunbamowo, 2019b). The proximate analysis of the leaves extracts of Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach.…”

“…The preliminary phytochemical analysis showed that Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach. & Thonn) Daniell pulp contained saponin, flavonoids, tannin, alkaloids, glycosides, phenol, resins, terpenoids, steroids, and anthraquinones and cyanogenic glycosides (Ibrahim et al, 2020;Awotedu et al, 2021). The isolated compounds from Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach.…”