Comparative Study of the In Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Methanolic Extracts of the Leaves and Stem bark of Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill & Perr

Abstract

In this present investigation, the leaves and stem bark extracts of the Anogeissus leiocarpus plant, a family member of the combretaceae, were tested and compared for their antioxidant activities using the radial scavenging effect (DPPH) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The extraction of the plant materials was conducted with a Soxhlet extractor, and methanol served as the solvent, while standard chemical procedures were used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of phytoconstituents. The results of the phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, phenols, and steroids in all the extracts, whereas only stem bark extract consisted of cardiac glycosides. Quantitative estimations of bioactive compounds revealed higher phenolic and flavonoid contents in the stem bark (122.72±0.00 mg/g and 72.16±0.05 mg/g) than the leaves (89.25±0.05 mg/g and 48.28±0.00 mg/g), respectively. Similarly, the result showed that all extracts possessed sufficient antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent trend, and the antioxidative activities were correlated with the total phenolic and flavonol contents; thus, the stem bark demonstrated higher antioxidant activity as compared to the leaves. This suggests the use of the stem bark of the Anogeissus leiocarpus plant for the treatment of oxidative stress-related disorders.