Phytochemical profiling and in vitro antioxidant evaluation of methanol leaf extracts of the wild vegetable Alternanthera sessilis
Authors:
Linda Ifeanyichukwu Sowunmi
(Biomedicinal Research Centre, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, P.M.B. 5054, Jericho Hill, Ibadan, Nigeria)
,
Paul Oluwatimilehin Ogunbamowo
(Biomedicinal Research Centre, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, P.M.B. 5054, Jericho Hill, Ibadan, Nigeria)
,
Yetunde Oyinkansade Babalola
(Biomedicinal Research Centre, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, P.M.B. 5054, Jericho Hill, Ibadan, Nigeria)
,
Barnabas Oluwatomide Oyeyinka
(Biomedicinal Research Centre, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, P.M.B. 5054, Jericho Hill, Ibadan, Nigeria)
,
Oluwatosin Ale
(Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria)
Abstract
Wild leafy vegetables play an important role in food security and traditional health systems, yet their phytochemical composition and biofunctional potential are strongly influenced by ecological and geographical factors. Alternanthera sessilis is widely consumed and ethno-medicinally valued, but locality-specific quantitative data for wild populations from Nigeria remain limited. This study characterised the phytochemical composition and in vitro antioxidant potential of methanol leaf extracts of wild Alternanthera sessilis from southwest Nigeria. Leaves were air-dried, milled and extracted in methanol. Qualitative screening employed standard spot tests. Gravimetric assays quantified total alkaloids, saponins and terpenoids. Spectrophotometric methods determined tannin (tannic-acid equivalents), total flavonoids (quercetin equivalents) and total phenolics (gallic-acid equivalents). Antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH radical scavenging, FRAP, and phosphomolybdenum (TAC) reducing-power assays. Qualitative screening detected alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, and anthraquinones. Quantitative data indicated alkaloids > terpenoids > saponins (≈1.6%, 1.1% and 0.8% w/w, respectively). Spectrophotometric assays yielded mean (±SD) values of TPC 23.73 ± 0.50 mg GAE/g, TFC 84.73 ± 1.99 mg QE/g, and tannin 58.74 ± 1.73 mg TAE/g. DPPH IC₅₀ values were 229.56 µg·mL⁻¹ (extract) and 23.21 µg·mL⁻¹ (ascorbic acid); FRAP assay produced ascorbic-acid equivalents (AAE) (≈12.04-25.42 µg AAE per mg extract) at higher assay concentrations (60-100 µg·mL⁻¹), while the TAC assay produced AAE values of 116.57-580.33 mg AAE/g across 20-100 µg·mL⁻¹. Overall, these results indicate that A. sessilis leaves constitute a significant reservoir of antioxidant compounds. These findings justify further chromatographic fractionation and compound-level analyses to isolate and characterise the major contributors to its antioxidant effects and assess their potential nutraceutical applications.
Keywords: Alternanthera sessilis, wild leafy vegetable, Antioxidant activity, TPC, TFC, DPPH
How to Cite:
Sowunmi, L. I., Ogunbamowo, P. O., Babalola, Y. O., Oyeyinka, B. O. & Ale, O., (2025) “Phytochemical profiling and in vitro antioxidant evaluation of methanol leaf extracts of the wild vegetable Alternanthera sessilis”, Lekovite Sirovine 45(1), 1-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.61652/leksir2545340S
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