Agbafor K N, Nwachukwu N
Biochemistry Department, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053 Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Biochem Res Int. 2011;2011:459839. doi: 10.1155/2011/459839. Epub 2011 Apr 18.
Oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant system have been implicated in the pathophysiology of diverse disease states. The phytochemical screening and antioxidant property of fresh leaves of Vitex doniana and Mucuna pruriens, used in the management and treatment of various diseases, were studied. The extracts (ethanol and distilled water) were screened for the presence of phytochemicals, and their inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical was used to evaluate their free radical scavenging activity. Liver levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in carbon tetrachloride- (CCl(4)) treated albino rats were also used to assess the antioxidant activity of the extracts. The animals were treated with 250 mg/kg body weight of the extracts for six consecutive days before a single dose (2.5 mL/kg body weight) of CCl(4). Vitamin C was used as the standard antioxidant. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, anthraquinones, terpenoids, and flavonoids in all the extracts, while alkaloids were detected in extracts of Vitex doniana only, and cardiac glycosides occurred in extracts of Mucuna pruriens only. All the extracts inhibited DPPH radical in a concentration-dependent manner, water extract of Vitex doniana producing highest inhibition which was not significantly different (P > .05) from vitamin C. The extracts produced a significant decrease (P < .05) in liver MDA, while the levels of SOD and CAT significantly increased (P < .05) relative to the positive control. These results are an indication of antioxidant potential of the extracts and may be responsible for some of the therapeutic uses of these plants.
氧化应激和抗氧化系统受损与多种疾病状态的病理生理学有关。对用于多种疾病管理和治疗的钝叶牡荆和刺毛黧豆新鲜叶片进行了植物化学筛选和抗氧化特性研究。对提取物（乙醇和蒸馏水）进行植物化学物质筛查，并利用其对2,2-二苯基-1-苦基肼（DPPH）自由基的抑制作用来评估其自由基清除活性。还通过检测四氯化碳（CCl₄）处理的白化病大鼠肝脏中丙二醛（MDA）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）的水平来评估提取物的抗氧化活性。在单次给予剂量为2.5 mL/kg体重的CCl₄之前，动物连续六天接受250 mg/kg体重的提取物处理。维生素C用作标准抗氧化剂。植物化学筛选显示，所有提取物中均存在皂苷、单宁、蒽醌、萜类化合物和黄酮类化合物，而仅在钝叶牡荆提取物中检测到生物碱，仅在刺毛黧豆提取物中检测到强心苷。所有提取物均以浓度依赖方式抑制DPPH自由基，钝叶牡荆水提取物的抑制作用最强，与维生素C相比无显著差异（P＞0.05）。与阳性对照相比，提取物使肝脏MDA显著降低（P＜0.05），而SOD和CAT水平显著升高（P＜0.05）。这些结果表明提取物具有抗氧化潜力，可能是这些植物某些治疗用途的原因。
