You have no items in your shopping cart.
Plants have been used since time immemorial for the treatment of ailments and diseases. The use of plant has improved over the years as a base for the manufacture of many orthodox medicines. A good number of phytochemicals and their medicinal/ health benefits have been analysed in several plants to certify them fit for treatment. One of such assays is the antioxidant activity of plant chemicals. The plants of interest in this study; Uvaria chamae, Cassytha filliformis, Biophytum umbraculum and Prioria balsamifera used for treatment of fertility in Nigeria traditionally have been analysed for their antioxidant activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The plants were extracted with aqueous methanol and diluted. This solution was added to the DPPH free radical and incubated in a dark box for thirty (30) minutes after which it is analysed with a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer blanked with aqueous methanol, using 1mg/ml ascorbic acid as standard and a solution of methanol and DPPH radical as control. A colour change from deep purple to bright yellow indicated a high scavenging activity and this was observed for the extracts of Uvaria chamae, Cassytha filliformis, Biophytum umbraculum and Prioria balsamifera and Ascorbic acid which is an already known antioxidant. There was no significant colour change observed in the control solution. The absorbance of the prepared solution was read at a wavelength of 518nm and gave readings of 3.614 for the control, 0.1955 for the standard, 0.388, 0.423, 0.347 and 0.431 for the plants extract respectively. From these absorbance values, the antioxidant activity of the plants extract was calculated and the result show that they contain high percentages of antioxidants in relation to the ascorbic acid standard which has an antioxidant activity of 94.59%. The antioxidant activity of the plants was 89.26%, 88.30%, 90.40%, 88.07% respectively.
From the result of this assay, these plants efficiency in fertility treatment is due to their high antioxidant activity which helps to manage oxidative stress and maintain the balance between antioxidants and free radicals in the body.
