Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Acacia senegal (Fabaceae) Wild is a leguminous tree with economic values,
but its leaves are under-utilised. OBJECTIVE : To investigate the phytochemical constituents
and antioxidant potential of crude extracts from A. Senegal’s leaves. METHODS : Methanol and
acetone crude extracts of leaves of A. senegal were prepared by maceration using organic
solvents, methanol and acetone respectively. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical
analysis of the crude extracts were evaluated using Association of Agricultural and Chemist
(AOAC) protocols. Antioxidant activities of the crude extracts were determined using 2,
2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) respectively. RESULTS : The crude extracts (acetone and methanol) showed vary quality
of phytochemical constituent including flavonoid, alkaloids, carbohydrate, saponins, tannin,
steroids, and terpenoids. Acetone crude possessed significant (P < 0.05) higher total flavonoid
and proanthocyanidin content in comparison with methanol extracts. Whereas, methanol
crude extract possessed significant higher total phenol content compared with acetone crude
extract. The crude extracts showed antioxidant activities as evidence in scavenging ABTS and
DPPH radicals. However, acetone crude with lower IC50 of 0.09 mg/mL possessed significant
higher ABTS scavenging ability compared to methanol (0.07 mg/mL) and ascorbic acid (0.07
mg/mL). CONCLUSION : The crude extracts could serve as a promising natural antioxidant agent
in management of oxidative stress diseases. For further studies, bioactive compounds need
to be ascertained.
