Radical Scavenging activity and phytochemical screening of the leaf extract of Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach. & Thonn.) Daniell

Antioxidants are chemicals that possess bioactive constituents which usually allow them to fight against free radicals. Antioxidant and phytochemicals properties of the leaves of Synsepalum dulcificum were investigated using ethyl-acetate, ethanol and methanol extracts. 2, 2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total flavonoid and the total phenolic content was carried out. The phytochemical screening assay was done on the following: Alkaloids, saponin, flavonoids, tannin, anthraquinones, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and phlobatannin using the test solvent extracts. The results gotten for antioxidant revealed that methanol gave the highest extract yield (17.4%) while ethyl-acetate extract had the least yield (5.0%). At 250 μg/ml extract concentration, the methanolic extract gave the highest amount with the IC50 values (89.94 μg/ml), followed by ethanol extract (68.20 μg/ml)) while ethyl acetate extract had the least scavenging activity of (39.21 μg/ml), and these were significantly different (P