Author(s):

Clement Osei Akoto, Akwasi Acheampong, Yaw Duah Boakye, Desmond Akwata and Michael Okine

Abstract: Alchornea cordifolia has ethnomedicinal use in the treatment of wounds, gonorrhea, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, urinary disorder and gastrointestinal disorder. The main focus of this study was to verify the biological activities (anthelmintic, antimicrobial and antioxidant) and isolate some of the components in the chloroform, methanol, and petroleum ether leaf extracts. Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial (agar and broth dilution method), anthelminthic and antioxidant [total antioxidant capacity (TAC), DPPH and H₂O₂ scavenging] assays were carried out on extracts. Thin layer and column chromatography were employed in the isolation and purification of the components of the petroleum ether extract. The phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, carotenoids, phenols and tannins. All three extracts showed antimicrobial activity against test organisms with MICs ranging from 1.56 – 25 mg/mL. The IC₅₀ values for methanol, chloroform and petroleum ether extracts in the DPPH and H₂O₂ assays were 35.22, 94.77 and 93.02 ppm, and 272.0, 626.5 and 898.4 ppm, respectively. The TAC (gAAE/100 g) for chloroform, petroleum ether and methanol extracts were 25.85, 40.0 and 40.08 g, respectively. The anthelminthic activity of the extracts at test concentrations was observed to be significantly (P<0.001) higher compared to albendazole-treated helminthes. By means of thin layer and column chromatography two spots have been isolated and purified. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of various functional groups in the purified fractions that is in agreement with findings of phytochemical screening. The findings of this study suggest that Alchornea cordifolia leaves could be exploited as potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of helminthic and bacterial infections and oxidative-stress diseases.

Pages: 2432-2442  |  1558 Views  482 Downloads

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