A Comparative Study of in Vitro Antioxidant Activity and Phytochemical Constituents of Methanol Extract of Aframomum Melegueta and Costus Afer Leaves

Abstract

Based on local claims on the efficacy of Aframomum melegueta (alligator pepper) and Costus afer (ginger lily) in the treatment of malaria, the present study compared the antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituents of extracts of A. melegueta and C. afer leaves. Methanol extracts of the plant leaves were obtained using standard procedures. The antioxidant property of the plants extracts were evaluated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) radical, Total Phenol Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC), Proanthocyanidin Content (PC), Ferric acid Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP) and ThioBarbituric Acid Reducing Substances (TBARS) assay. The phytochemical screening test revealed the presence of alkaloids, reducing sugars, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, cardiac glycosides and terpenoids in both extracts. The antioxidant study showed that the A. melegueta extract had higher DPPH radical scavenging ability (IC 50 of 122.25ug/ml), FRAP (35.38µmol Fe(II)/g) and TBARS (% inhibition of 62.08%) than C. afer (IC 50 of 156.48ug/ml, 12.25 µmol Fe(II)/g, and 42.5%, respectively). The C. afer extract, however, recorded higher levels of TFC, PC and a lower TPC content when compared with the A. melegueta counterpart. The results suggest that C. afer and A. melegueta extracts could serve as free radical scavengers, acting as primary antioxidants. The results support local claims of their therapeutic uses in the treatment of malaria in folklore medicine.

Costus afer: A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Data in support of Its Medicinal Relevance

“…e results reported in by Atere and Akinloye [45] are at variance with what Ezejiofor and Orisakwe also reported when they used lead as the toxic agent [44]. e antioxidant role of C. afer plant extract in these pharmacological activities cannot be overemphasized as there are several published reports to substantiate it [2,7,9,25,40,43].…”

“…e oil extracted from the plant is made up of 78% saturated fatty acids and 22% unsaturated fatty acids [28]. e phytochemical analysis of the leaves, stem, and the rhizome of this plant in different solvents shows the presence of alkaloids, phenols, saponins, triterpenes, tannins, and glycosides [2,29,30]. ese phytochemicals and nutrients may justify the nutraceutical use of the plant [4].…”

“…In vitro antioxidant studies on aqueous stem extract of C. afer showed an IC 50 value of 92.33 mg/mL for DPPH (diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) radical [22]. e methanol extract of the C. afer leaf showed a DPPH scavenging activity with an IC 50 of 157.48 μg/mL [2]. Hexane leaf extract of C. afer is reported to have NO (nitric oxide) and H 2 O 2 (hydrogen peroxide) scavenging activity with an IC 50 of 1.77 mg/mL and 0.33 mg/mL, respectively [7,9,25].…”

“…Costus afer Ker-Gawl (C. afer) with synonyms Costus obliterans Schum, Costus anomocalyx Schum, and Costus insularis Chev. is a rhizomatous herb commonly known as ginger lily or "bush cane" [1][2][3][4]. Almost every part of this plant is endowed with medicinal potential in diseases such as malaria, measles, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, and stomach disorders.…”

Low‐dose heavy metal mixture (lead, cadmium and mercury)‐induced testicular injury and protective effect of zinc andCostus aferin wistar albino rats

“…Costus afer is a rhizomatous herb commonly known as ginger lily or bush cane (Okugbo & Oriakhi, 2015). Almost every part of this plant is endowed with medicinal potential in diseases, and a number of research studies have gone into finding the bioactive components of this plant with pharmacological properties to be used in the design of new drugs with lesser side effects (Boison et al., 2019).…”