Rutin

Chelation

Biochemistry

Food science

Organic chemistry

Gallic acid

Antioxidant

Flavonoid

Medicine

Chemistry

Quercetin

Ascorbic acid

DPPH

Traditional medicine

International journal of medicinal and aromatic plants

A critical step towards improvement of global healt h care delivery system lies in the discovery and optimal utilization of the wide range of medicinal plant resources available in nature. Against this backdrop, the antioxidant p o- tential of two underutilized crops - Eremomastax speciosa (Hochst.) Cufod. and Eremomastax polysperma (Benth.) Dandy, growing under lowland humid tropical conditions of southern Nigeria were investigated using selected compl e- mentary in vitro assay systems. Ascorbic acid, Gallic acid and Na 2EDTA were used as standard reference compounds and the plants' leaves were extracted using 80% ethanol. Extracts of the two species contained good levels of antioxidant metabolites (36.44 - 57.56 µg Gallic Acid Equivalents/mg, and 67.83 - 141.58 µg Rutin Equivalents/mg for total phenol and flavonoid contents respectively). The extracts scavenged 50% (IC 50) of stable DPPH and hydroxyl radicals at 89.14µg/ml and 40.76µg/ml; 30.23 mg/ml and 23.18mg/ml respectively. The extracts further chelated 50% of iron II ions (Fe 2+ ) at 1.14mg/ml and 1.21mg/ml respectively. Results of the reducing power assay and total antioxidant capacity ind i- cated that the extracts were potent in electron donation, thus were capable of reducing Fe 3+ and Mo (VI) ions to their lower oxidation states. E. polysperma generally showed superiority (p<0.05) to E. speciosa in the entire test assays. The results obtained is a significant pointer to the potential health benefits of these underutilized plants to humans and an i- mals as antioxidants that could provide natural mitigation to the ha zardous effect of free radicals, hence the need to u p- grade their medicinal value chain.

Upgrading the medicinal value chain of neglected and underutilized Eremomastax (Lindau.) species through antioxidant health benefits.