Pharmacognostic and Antioxidant activity of Bryophyllum pinnatum Leaves

Bryophyllum pinnatum is used in ethno medicine for treatment of earache, burns, abscesses, ulcer, insect bites, and diarrhoea. In Nigeria, this herb is used to facilitate the dropping of the placenta of a newly born baby. To search for new sources of safe and inexpensive antioxidants, the leaf of Bryophyllum pinnatum was screened for its antioxidant activity. Sample of leaf from B. pinnatum was tested for organoleptic, phytochemical, thin layer chromatography and antioxidant activity using standard procedure. The leaf was found to be simple, petiolated 6.8cm in size. Microscopically, the leaf had irregularly shaped epidermal cells with numerous anisocytic stomata on the lower surface. Chemomicroscopical evaluation revealed the presence of cellulose, tannins, starch, lignin, calcium oxalate, suberin, aleurone grain and mucilage with the exception of calcium carbonate. Phytochemicals which include alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates and triterpenes were detected in both aqueous and methanolic extracts while anthraquinones was absent. Methanol extract when developed in Chloroform: Methanol (9:1) and virtualized with p-Anisaldehyde/H2SO4, it gave six spots. The DPPH radical scavenging ability of the extract showed the following trend Ascorbic acid > extract. These results suggested that B. pinnatum leaves have moderate antioxidant potentials. Further study is necessary for isolation and characterization of active antioxidant agents which can be used to treat various oxidative stress related diseases