Extraction and Formulation of Perfume from Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass)

This work aimed to extract perfume from the leaves of Cymbopogon citratus using three extraction methods viz: distillation, solvent extraction and expression or effleurage. About 150 g of dried lemons grass were extracted using ethanol as the solvent to obtain essential oils required for the formulation of perfumes. The result of the hydrodistillation process showed that 1.23 g of essential oil per 130g of dry lemongrass produce 0.95% oil at 78 °C, while the effleurage method was 2.55 g of essential oil per 130 g of dry lemongrass sample thereby producing 1.96% oil yield. The solvent extraction method gave 2.7 g of essential oil per 130 g of dry lemongrass sample. This gives about 2.08 % yield of essential oil at a temperature of 78°C i.e. the boiling point of ethanol. The solvent extraction method yielded 2.08%, the effleuragemethod yielded 1.96% and the hydrodistillation method yielded 0.95% essential oil respectively. In conclusion, solvent extraction gave the highest yield because of less exposure to air and heat, which is highly recommended as the most suitable method for the extraction of essential oil

Antihaemolytic, Antihaemorrhagic and Antifibrinolytic Effects of Fractions of Buchholzia coriacea Seeds on Naja nigricollis Crude Venom

Bulchhozia coriacea (Capparaceae) seeds are used in managing snake bite in Western Nigeria were investigated against Naja nigricollis (Spitting cobra) venom-induced hemolytic, hemorrhagic and fibrinolytic effects. This study was aimed at determining the antihaemolytic, antihaemorrhagic as well as antifibrinolytic effects of B. coriacea on N. nigricollis crude venom. Microwave-assisted extraction with hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol was carried out. Naja nigricollis venom-induced erythrocyte lysis (100 %) was significantly reduced to 18% by the chloroform fraction at 0.625 mg/mL. At the concentration of 0.625 mg/mL, the hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol fractions administered in combination with the venom reduced percentage hemorrhagic activity to 23%, 17%, 49%, and 87%, respectively. In conclusion, Bulchhozia coriacea seed fractions exhibited significant antihaemolytic, antihaemorrhagic and antifibrinolytic activities against N. nigricollis crude venom and may beneficial as a pre-treatment the while victim is transferred to a healthcare facility to receive the definite treatment to ensure speedy recovery. Key words: Antihaemolytic, antihaemorrhagic, fibrinolytic, venom, Bulchhozia coriace

Flavonoids from Nigerian indigenous medicinal plants and their bioactivities: A review

Introduction: Medicinal plants are used individually or in combination in Nigerian Traditional Medicine for the treatment of myriad of ailments. This review focus on flavonoids isolated from Nigerian indigenous medicinal plants and their pharmacological activities Methods: Scientific databases such as SciFinder, Medline, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were accessed for literature on flavonoids isolated from Nigerian medicinal plants. The Names and authors of plant species were authenticated using the International Plant Name Index. Results: Sixty-nine (69) medicinal plants have been currently reviewed, from which two hundred and fifty-eight (258) bioactive flavonoids have been reportedly isolated which fall within the flavones, flavanones, flavanols, flavanonols, anthocyanidins, chalcones and bioflavonoids. In vivo and in vitro experiments validating the bioactivities of the isolated flavonoids were also reviewed viz: Osteogenic potential, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, trypanocidal, antimalarial, cytotoxicity, antiproliferative, nephrotoxicity, potent immunostimulatory, xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity and immunomodulatory effects. Conclusions: From this review, it can be inferred that Nigerian plants are a great source of novel flavonoid compounds and thus, flavonols being the major constituents of the medicinal plants in Nigeria, can be studied further for possible development into nutraceuticals against diabetes, malaria and other several metabolic diseases. This study provides literature on phytochemistry, and biological evaluations and creates a scientific justification for the use of these plants in Nigerian Herbal Medicine

Identification of antioxidant compounds from the stem bark fraction of Strychnos innocua Del.

Strychnos innocua is a shrub that is native to the tropic region of the world. It is used locally as food, medicine, fuel, and as an insect repellent. Extracts of this plant are used as an aphrodisiac and in the treatment of gonorrhoea, snakebite and dysentery. It has been proven to possess antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. There is little or no information on the identification and pharmacological activities of the chemical composition of the stem bark of this plant. The aim of this work is to identify the chemical compounds present in this plant and determine their antioxidant activities. The ethyl acetate extract of this plant was subjected to purification techniques which lead to the isolation of fraction SI1. The chemical composition of the fraction SI1 was then determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GCMS). Fractions SI1 was then analysed for its free radical scavenging potential using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric ion reducing antioxidant property (FRAP) assay. A total of thirty compounds were identified with the major compounds being Cyclohex-2-enone,3-)2H-tetrazol-5-yl amino) (15.83 %), N-hexadecanoic acid (38.21%), N-hexadecanoic acid (38.21%), Octadecanoic acid (13.41%), Cis-vaccenic acid (13.41 %). The DPPH radical scavenging potential of the fraction SI1 compares well with the standard, ascorbic acid with IC50 of 3.71 ± 0.31 μg/mL and 1.68 ± 1.27 μg/mL, respectively. At 500 μg/mL, the antioxidant potential of the standard ascorbic acid was 96.9% whereas the fraction SI1 had 62.1% free DPPH radical scavenging activity. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of SI1 observed is 0.0488 ± 0.01 nm, and 0.5375 ± 0.01 nm and for ascorbic acid. In conclusion, fraction SI1 can act as an antioxidant supplement for various applications in diverse fields of food, cosmetics, and medicine. Several compounds contained in the fraction SI1 may have contributed to the antioxidant properties of the fraction. The compounds identified could be useful precursors for the synthesis of therapeutic drugs associated with the treatment of human and animal diseases

Isolation of lupeol from the stem bark of Leptadenia hastata (Pers.) Decne

Dried stem bark powder of Leptadania hastata was subjected to maceration with methanol to afford crude methanol extract, which was partitioned with n-hexane, ethylacetate, chloroform and n- butanol to afford different their respective fractions. Extensive phytochemical screening of the n-hexane fraction using column chromatography resulted to the isolation of a white solid substance. The substance was identified as of lupeol using IR, 1D – NMR, 2D – NMR data and by comparison with reference spectral data. Keywords: Leptadenia hastata, Isolation, Lupeol, 1D – NMR, 2D – NM