Abstract
To the best of our knowledge, there was no prior report providing valuable preliminary data through a demonstration of the quantitative phytochemical and antioxidant activity of Gymnosporia senegalensis. The total contents of phenols, flavonoid, flavanol, tannin, and saponin were evaluated from different fractions extracted from the leaf, stem, and bark of G. senegalensis by using standards such as gallic acid, quercetin, rutin, tannic acid, and saponin quillaja. The antioxidant potential was measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide scavenging (H(2)O(2)), superoxide anion radical scavenging, metal chelating ferrous ion, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Data were subjected to half-inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at p < 0.05 as a significant value. The total phenol content was found to be highest in the chloroform extract of stem at 97.7 ± 0.02 mg GAE/g. The total flavonoid and flavonol contents in the aqueous extract were 97.1 ± 0.03 mg QE/g and 96.7 ± 0.07 mg RE/g, respectively. The total tannin content in the ethyl acetate extract of leaf was 97.5 ± 0.01 mg TAE/g, and the total saponin content in the methanol extract of stem was 79.1 ± 0.06 mg SQE/g. The antioxidant analysis indicated that IC(50) and percentage (%) inhibition were dose-dependent and showed the highest antioxidant activity (40.9 ± 0.9 µg/mL) in methanol extract of leaf for DPPH, (88.8 ± 1.12 µg/mL) in the chloroform extract of stem for H(2)O(2), (43.9 ± 0.15 µg/mL) in the aqueous extract of bark for superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, (26.9 ± 0.11 µg/mL) in the chloroform extract of leaf for the metal chelating ferrous ion activity, (7.55 ± 0.10 mg/mL) in the benzene extract of leaf for FRAP, and (2.97 ± 0.01 mg/mL) in the methanol extract of bark for TAC. These results show that G. senegalensis has great potential in antioxidant activities. The isolation and characterization of specific bioactive compounds and the in vivo applicability of such activity await further extensive studies for drug discovery and development.