Phytochemical Profiling and In vitro Antioxidant Activity of Methanolic Extracts from Fadogia cienkowskii Leaves

Abstract

This study assessed the phytochemicals in the methanolic extract of Fadogia cienkowskii leaves and ascertained their antioxidant qualities In vitro, taking into account the plant's extensive usage in traditional medicine. Standard procedures were followed in the qualitative and quantitative phytochemical examination as well as the In vitro antioxidant activities of the extracts. The methanolic extracts of F. cienkowskii leaves produced a yield of 4%. The main phytochemical components found in the plant were phenolics (tannins and flavonoids), saponins, protein, and carbohydrates. The amount of total phenols in the dried plant extract was 2.085± 0.35 μg garlic acid equivalent (GAE)/mg, tannins in the extract was 0.755±0.17 μg GAE/mg, flavonoid contents in the extract was 3.646± 0.45 μg GAE/mg, and flavonols in the extract was 0.868± 0.20μg quercetin equivalent/mg. At a dosage of 10,000μg/ml, the extract demonstrated a noteworthy dose-dependent ability to scavenge DPPH radicals, effectively blocking 96.56 ± 0.46 % of DPPH, in contrast to ascorbic acid, which inhibited 89.10 ± 3.73 % at the same concentration. At a concentration of 2500μg/ml of extract, the extract demonstrated the highest level of superoxide anion (O2) inhibitory action, at 71.91±0.66% of the radical, in comparison to quercetin, which exhibited 68.23 ± 0.41% at 250μg/ml. The extract's ability to scavenge Nitric Oxide (NO) was concentration-dependent, with 250µg/ml of it being more effective than α-tocopherol. These results consequently imply that the leaf extract of F. cienkowskii likely mediates its medicinal potentials through the efficient scavenging of free radicals. Therefore, the plant can be used to create safe and natural antioxidant compounds because it has the potential to scavenge free radicals and contains sufficient concentrations of phytochemicals.