Studies on In vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Crinum jagus Leaves and Bulb Extracts

Aims: The current study investigates the leaves and bulb extracts of Crinum jagus for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria between June 2016 and September 2017.

Methodology: The leaves and the bulb of the plant were subjected to successive extraction using hexane, ethylacetate and methanol. The phytoconstituents and total phenol contents were determined. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant properties of the extracts (compared to that of the standard drug Ascorbic acid) were also determined. The membrane-stabilizing properties of the extracts, compared to that of indomethacin, were used to measure their anti-inflammatory properties.

Results: Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins and terpenoids in the extracts. The total phenolic content of the extracts ranged between 33.230 and 98.340 gallic acid equivalence/g sample with the ethylacetate extract of the bulb having the highest phenol content. In the DPPH assay, the IC50 values of the extracts ranged between 0.503 and 1.050 with methanol extract of the leaves possessing the highest DPPH scavenging activity. The ferric reducing activities of the extracts ranged between 3.61 and 40.000 mg ascorbic acid equivalent / g of the sample with the ethylacetate extract of the bulb possessing the highest activity. Among the extracts screened for anti-inflammatory activity, the methanol extract of the leaves had the highest membrane stabilizing activity with value of 99.74 ± 0.68 at 0.5 mg/ml compared to indomethacin with a value of 52.65±1.18 at the same concentration.

Conclusion: The leaves and bulbs of C. jagus could be sources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.