Phytochemical Screening and Free Radical Scavenging
Activities of the Fruits and Leaves of Allanblackia
floribunda
Oliv (Guttiferae)
Gloria A Ayoola1, Solomon S Ipav1, Margaret O Sofidiya2, Aderonke
A Adepoju-Bello1, Herbert AB Coker1, Tolu O Odugbemi3
1Dept
of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Lagos, Nigeria.
2Dept
of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of
Lagos, Nigeria.
3Dept
of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University of
Lagos, Nigeria.
*For Correspondence:
E-mail:
oyetayo68@yahoo.com
Tel:
+2348055465428 or +23418771985
International Journal of Health Research,
June
2008; 1(2):
87-93
Received: 02-Jun-08 Revision received:
13-Jun-08 Accepted for publication: 15-Jun-08
Original Research Article
Abstract
Purpose:
To
compare the phytochemical constituents in
the leaves and
fruits of
Allanblackia floribunda and determine their free radical
scavenging activity.
Methods:
The fruit and leaves of AF collected from the
uncultivated farmlands of Okeigbo, Ondo State, Nigeria,
were dried, milled and extracted with methanol.
Phytochemical screening was carried out according to
standard procedures. Free radical scavenging activity
was determined by measuring the decrease in the visible
absorbance of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) on
addition of the plant extract. The mean inhibitory
concentration (IC50), which is the
concentration of extract needed to decrease the initial
absorbance of DPPH by 50% was determined graphically.
Total phenolic, flavonoids and proanthocyanidin contents
were determined by spectro-photometric methods.
Results:
Alkaloids, anthraquinones, tannins, saponins, steroids,
terpenoids, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides were found
to be present in both the fruits and leaves. Only AF
fruit contained phlobatannins. IC50 values
of 0.01, 0.02 and 0.1 mg/ml were recorded for Vitamin E,
AF leaves and AF fruits respectively. Total phenolic,
total flavonoid and proanthocyanidin contents were 65,
0.07 and 2.38 mg/g of powdered plant material for AF
fruits, and 12, 51.35, 19.5 mg/g of powdered plant
material for AF leaves as gallic acid, rutin and
catechin equivalents respectively.
Conclusion:
AF leaves are five times more potent as a free radical
scavenger compared to the fruits though the fruit was
found to contain a higher phenolic content.
Keywords:
Free radical scavenger, phenolic content,
proanthocyanidin, flavonoids, DPPH, Allanblankia
floribunda, tannins, steroids, alkaloids and
anthraquinones.
