Assessment of Antisickling and Antioxidant Properties of Mucuna pruriens and Gossypium hirsutum Leaves

Abstract

Aim: In this study, the antioxidant and antisickling properties of Mucuna pruriens and Gossypium hirsutum leaves were determined. Study Design: Experimental studies. Place and Duration of Study: A patient with confirmed sickle cell disesase blood was got from the hematology unit of University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Edo State. The procedure was carried out for 2 months. Methods: Fresh Gossypium hirsutum and Mucuna pruriens leaves were obtained, identified, and then finely ground after being dried at room temperature.  To obtain the extracts, five hundred grams (500g) of both leaves were macerated in one thousand milliliters (1000ml) of methanol solvent. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay was used to determine the antioxidant activity of the extract. In-vitro method of sickle cell hemoglobin polymerization assay was used in determining the antisickling properties of the plant extracts. A Patient with confirmed sickle cell disease (HbSS), at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria participated in this study by providing blood samples. The samples were collected when the patient was in a non-crisis state and was stored in sodium EDTA bottles. The samples were thoroughly mixed, and used immediately for analysis. Results: The methanolic extracts of Gossypium hirsutum and Mucuna pruriens showed antioxidant property which varied somewhat at 85.9 ±0.05% for Mucuna pruriens and 87.4 ±0.04% for Gossypium hirsutum and tendered to be higher for Gossypium hirsutum leaf extract than for Mucuna pruriens leaf extract. The antioxidant property of the plant extract compared favorably with value up to 88 ±0.02% of that of reference, ascorbic acid.  The plant extract showed antisickling effect that was both concentration of the plant extract and duration of application dependent when compared with the negative control, 17% sickling in the untreated HbSS sample, and 1% sickling with the reference p-hydroxybenzoic acid treated samples, the values marked antisickling effect. Conclusion: The results of this research reveal that the methanolic extract of M. pruriens and G. hirsutum leaves have high antisickling and antioxidant properties.