Extraction and Fractionation of Whole Black Seed Plantain (Plantago rugelii Decne) for in-vitro Antioxidant, Antibacterial and Phytochemical Screening

This study was designed to explore new antioxidant and antimicrobial agents from the methanol whole plant crude extract and fractions of Plantago rugelii. The methanol extract and its fractions were prepared and screened for its phytochemical composition, in-vitro antioxidant potential and challenged with common pathogenic microorganisms for its antimicrobial activities using standard procedures. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of various pharmaceutically active secondary metabolites like alkaloids, phenolic, flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, sterols, etc. In the DPPH assay, the aqueous methanol fraction was found to be the most effective among all the fractions in comparison to the ascorbic acid standard. Using the zone of inhibition as inhibitory parameter, the crude methanol extract exhibited the best antibacterial activity when challenged against all the clinical isolates except Klebsiella pneumoniae. The aqueous methanol extract exhibited the best percentage fungal inhibition when compared to other fractions. The standard drugs ciprofloxacin and fluconazole exhibited a near 100% activity except with Proteus vulgaris where the crude methanol extract has a higher value.This research holds promise for the exploration of various potentially active secondary metabolites which would help in developing pharmaceuticals, especially antioxidant and antimicrobial drugs. The isolation and characterization of the exact metabolites responsible for these activities is therefore recommended

A case study of codeine consumption and its physiocochemical implications

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Lupeol Acetate Isolated from n-Hexane Extract of Tapinanthus globiferus Leaf

A study was carried out to isolate and characterise Lupeol Acetate from the leaves of Tapinanthus globiferus. The dried pulverized plant material was extracted for 24 hours with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol solvents. The /n-hexane fraction obtained was subjected to column chromatography followed by preparative thin layer chromatography, which resulted in isolation of a colourless crystalline compound. The spectral data (1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR) and literature comparison infer that the isolated compound is a pentacyclic triterpenoid namely Lupeol Acetate.Keywords: Tapinanthus globiferus, Lupeol Acetate, Structure elucidatio

Comparison of the effects of Craseonycteris thonglongyai (bumblebee bat) droppings and synthetic fertilizer on some phytotoxins in the leaf of Amaranthus cruentus

Leafy vegetables such as Amaranthus cruentus form important part of diet because they provide valuable nutrients for maintenance of good health and prevention of some diseases. Despite these enormous nutritional benefits, they may accumulate toxic substances that could have negative effects on health at high concentrations. The concentrations of these plant toxins could be influenced by the soil nutrient compositions. It is against this background that pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Craseonycteris thonglongyai droppings and chemical fertilizer on the concentrations of some phytotoxins (phytate, oxalate, cyanide and nitrate) in A. cruentus. The leaves of A. cruentus were harvested at maturity and were subjected to standard chemical analysis. The oxalate and phytate contents were determined by titrimetric method while cyanide and nitrate were evaluated by colourimetric method. The results showed that the application of both C. thonlongyai droppings and synthetic fertilizer significantly (p < 0.05) increased the nitrate content in the vegetable, however, the nitrate content in the vegetable treated with C. thonlongyai droppings was significantly lower when compared with the one fertilized with synthetic fertilizer. Similarly, application of C. thonlongyai droppings and chemical fertilizer has no significant effect on oxalate and phytate contents in A. cruentus except that the concentration of oxalate decreased significantly (p<0.05) with the application of C. thonglongyai droppings. Whereas chemical fertilizer has no significantly effect on the concentration of cyanide in the leaves of A. cruentus, its concentration decreased significantly with application of C. thonglongyai droppings. The study concludes that application of C. thonglongyai droppings decreased the bioaccumulation of some phytotoxins in the leaf of A. cruentus and improves its nutritional quality compared with the synthetic fertilize

Phytochemical composition, acute toxicity and lipid profile of the methanol leaf extract of Piliostigma Thonningii (Fabaceae)

Cardiac complications and diseases constitute a major cause of death, globally. Piliostigma thonningii has been claimed to be ethnomedicinally relevant for the treatment of heart pains among others. It is against this background that the phytochemical composition, oral acute toxicity and the effect of the methanol leaf extract on the lipid profile of physiologically normal rats, were investigated using established procedures. Results confirmed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, reducing sugars, saponin, steroid, phenolics and tannins. While the extract in a dose - dependent manner caused a significant decrease in the total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased in the treated rats when compared to the control group. The HDL/LDL ratio in all the treated groups was significantly higher than that of the control group signalling the usefulness of the plant extract in the prophylactic and curative management of lipid peroxidation, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disorders. There was no mortality at 2 g/kg p.o after 24 hours and no sign of delayed toxicity or mortality after 14 days of observation. Keywords: Antilipidemia, Phytochemical, Piliostigma thonningii, Toxicit

Phytochemical Screening, In vitro Antioxidant Activity and Polyphenolic Content of the Leaves of Nigerian Ziziphus spina – Christi (L.) Willd

Ziziphus spina is a neglected and underutilized species characterized as a multipurpose plant as different parts of the plant is being used for diverse trado-medicinal purposes. The study evaluated the phytochemical composition, 1, 1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity, total phenolic, and flavonoids content of the hydromethanol leaf extract and fractions with a view to validate its folkloric usage. Gallic acid, quercetin and ascorbic acid were used as the positive controls for the total phenol content, flavonoid content and the DPPH assay respectively. The result of the phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of flavonoid, tannins, saponins, phenolics, reducing sugars among others. While the standard antioxidant (ascorbic acid) had superior DPPH antioxidant capacity, n-butanol had better activity when compared to the crude extract and other fractions. Using the gallic acid and quercetin equivalent plots, the n-butanol fraction contained a higher concentration of total phenols and flavonoids in comparison with the crude extract and other fractions. There was a significant correlation between the DPPH antioxidant activity and the phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts. The results of this study showed that the leaf extracts of Z. spina possess promising antioxidant property capable of being exploited by pharmaceutical companies for the development of therapeutic agents aimed at treating free radical implicated diseases

Phytochemical, nutritional and antimicrobial properties of the leaves of Nigerian Ziziphus Spina – Christi (l.) Willd

Z. spina found in the tropical regions of the world is a small tree capable of resisting heat and drought. Traditionally, the leaves of the plant are preserved as feed for animals during intense drought as well as used to treat external wounds, swellings, diarrhea, and intestinal spasm among others. Phytochemical screening was performed using standard procedures, while the nutritional and antibacterial studies were conducted using the Association of Analytical Chemist (AOAC) and agar well diffusion methods respectively. The result of the phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, reducing sugars, among others. Moisture content (27.24 ± 1.19 %), total ash (29.11 ± 0.66 %), acid insoluble ash (1.43 ± 0.06 %), alcohol-soluble extractive (0.26 ± 0.14 %) and water-soluble extractive (0.72 ± 0.12 %) values were obtained from the quantitative proximate analysis. The mineral analysis revealed 14 ± 0.09, 135 ± 1.29 and 1.05 ± 0.19 mg/100 g dry weight as the sodium, potassium and phosphorus compositions respectively. Escherichia coli was found to be the most susceptible bacteria to the extract with an MIC value of 0.25 mg/ml while Staphylococcus aureus was the most resistant strain with an MIC value of 1.00 mg/ml. Conclusively, the leaves of the plant may find use in food formulation operations as well as explored further for the treatment of microbial infections. Keyword: Antimicrobial, Extract, MIC, Nutritional, Ziziphus spin

Nutritional and anti-nutritional analyses of Hura crepitans seeds cultivated in Sokoto North L.G.A, North-North-Western Nigeria

The proximate, minerals constituents and anti-nutritional factors of Hura crepitans seeds were evaluated. The results of the proximate analysis showed that 3.13%, 4.00%, 7.83%, 33.17%, 17.30%, 8.17%, 29.53% were the percentage composition of moisture, ash, crude lipid, crude protein, fibre and carbohydrate respectively. The calorific value was obtained to be 485.85±7.22 kJ/kg. The anti-nutritional analysis showed that phytate had the highest concentration of 20.28±0.90 while oxalate has the lowest concentration of 0.017±0.15 mg/100g dry weight respectively. The mineral analysis of Hura crepitans seed also indicates that K has the highest value of 238.33 mg/100g dry weight while Cd with a value 0.71±0.01 mg/100g dry weight has the least. The result shows that the H. crepitans seeds if properly utilized can serve as good source of minerals.Keywords: Anti-nutritional, Hura crepitans, Proximate, Mineral, Nutritiona