Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, P/Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa
Erasto, P., Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, P/Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa; Grierson, D.S., Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, P/Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa; Afolayan, A.J., Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, P/Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa
The leaves of Vernonia amygdalina were examined for antioxidant activity and analysed for their fatty acids content. Using transesterification and GC-MS analysis, 12 fatty acids were identified, which accounted for 74.1% of the lipid content. Two essential fatty acids (EFA), linoleic and α-linolenic acid were found in abundance in the oil. Using DPPH and a ABTS radical scavenging experiments, acetone, methanol and water extracts were screened for their antioxidant activity. The methanol extract exhibited high activity, by scavenging 75-99.3% of the DPPH radicals and 96.2-100% of the ABTS{radical dot}+radicals. These values are higher than those of butylated hydroxytoluene and were less than or equal to those of catechin. The water extract was the least active; its activity ranged from 29% to 88% for DPPH radicals and 76.8-98.3% for ABTS{radical dot}+. The presence of EFA and the high antioxidant activity of the leaf extracts have validated the importance of V. amygdalina in the diet. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1,1 diphenyl 2 picrylhydrazyl; 2,2' azinobis(3 ethylbenzothiazoline 6 sulfonic acid); acetone; antioxidant; butylcresol; catechin; fatty acid; linoleic acid; linolenic acid; methanol; oil; scavenger; sulfonic acid derivative; unclassified drug; Vernonia amydalina extract; water; antioxidant activity; article; diet; drug activity; gas chromatography; mass spectrometer; nonhuman; plant; screening; South Africa; transesterification; vernonia amygdalina; Vernonia amygdalina