Abstract

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ETHYLACETATE EXTRACT OF COSTUS AFER AND DETERMINATION OF ITS PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENT

Chukwunweike Chioma C.* and Anokwuru Ruth E.

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Abstract

Medicinal plants have played an essential role as effective and reliable sources of both traditional and modern medicine. They have been used for thousands of years to treat and prevent various diseases. Their medicinal properties have been attributed to the presence of bioactive constituents. Costus afer (ginger lily or bushcane) is known to have good medicinal properties. Different parts of the plant are commonly used for the treatment of various ailments such as diabetes, inflammation, hypertension and many oxidative stress-related conditions. The study was carried out to determine the phytochemical constituents and the antioxidant activity of ethylacetate extract of the leaves of C. afer. The antioxidant activity was measured by assessing its free radical scavenging ability using 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and monitored with a UV spectrophotometer. Oxidative stress has been widely associated with the pathogenesis and complications of various diseases including atherosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases (CVD’s) and cancer. Antioxidants help to counter the deleterious effects of oxidative stress. Since antioxidants have the ability to inhibit the reaction of free radicals by causing a termination in the chain reaction they initiate and propagate, the ability of compounds to react with DPPH radical and inhibit its radical forming ability is used to determine their antioxidant property. Ethylacetate extract of C. afer significantly inhibited DPPH radical which signifies the antioxidant property of the plant.

Keywords: Costus afer, DPPH, oxidative stress, antioxidant, free radical, phytochemical.