Pharmacological Evaluation of Solanum americanum Leaf Extract: Antioxidant, Anti-Arthritic, Anti-Sturative and Anti-Sickling Activities

Abstract

Solanum americanum, a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat inflammation, anemia, and kidney disorders, was evaluated for its antioxidant, anti-arthritic, anti-struvite, and anti-sickling properties. Methanolic extracts of S. americanum leaves (MESAL) were prepared and tested in vitro using DPPH scavenging, protein denaturation, struvite crystallization, and sickle cell reversal assays. The extract demonstrated notable antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ value of 10.73 µg/mL, surpassing that of ascorbic acid (21.86 µg/mL). In the anti-arthritic assay, MESAL achieved 90.73% inhibition of protein denaturation at 1000 µg/mL, comparable to diclofenac sodium (94.59%). Struvite inhibition studies revealed a concentration-dependent decrease in crystal formation, with maximum inhibition of 87.45 ± 1.11% at 1 mg/mL, exceeding the standard drug Cystone. Additionally, MESAL showed strong anti-sickling activity, reversing sickled cells by 81.37 ± 1.25% at 10 mg/mL after 150 minutes, outperforming Phenylalanine. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of S. americanum and support its development as a plant-based intervention for oxidative stress, arthritis, urolithiasis, and sickle cell anemia.