Comparative Studies of the Antioxidant and Phytochemical Activities of Three Traditional Plant Species Used Medicinally in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species is an antecedent of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetics, Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis. It is of note that plant and plant based materials could serve as antioxidant.
Objective: to investigate the presence of important phytochemicals and antioxidants potential of Synclisia scabrida, Persea americana and Picralima nitida and compare the antioxidant prowess of each plant against the other.
Methods: Parts of the plants (such as leave, stem, root and seed) were washed, pulverized and extracted with methanol; an assay of the phytochemical constituent of the extracts was also carried out. An in vitro study of radical scavenging activity using the ABTS (2, 2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferrous reduction assays was used to assay the antioxidant properties of the plants.
Results: The phytochemical analysis of the plants revealed the presence of Phenol, Flavonoids, Alkaloids and Saponin. From the study, the methanolic extract of Synclisia scabrida leaves analyzed, showed better antioxidant prowess compared to Persea americana and Picralima nitida leaves, stem and root extracts.
Conclusion: Synclisia scabrida is promising in the area of antioxidant drug discovering, nutraceuticals and functional food due to its high antioxidant potential compared to Persea americana and Picralima nitida.

Keywords: Antioxidant, Phytochemicals, Persea americana, Picralima nitida, and Synclisia scabrida