Phytochemical assessment, total alkaloid content, proximate analysis, antioxidant and antimalarial activities of ethyl acetate leaf extract of Pyrenacantha staudtii hutch and dalz

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Pyrenacantha staudtii hutch and dalz leaves are widely used in the preparation of traditional medicine to manage and cure malaria and several other ailments as diseases pose great dangers to human population. This study evaluated the phytochemicals, total alkaloid content, proximate composition, antioxidant and antimalarial activities of Pyrenacantha staudtii hutch and dalz leaf extract. The bioactive chemical constituents were investigated using standard methods. The antioxidant study was done using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay while the in-vivo antimalarial activity was evaluated against Plasmodium berghei parasites, and the necessary doses were administered based on the animal's weight two hours after the parasite inoculation on D₁, and then once a day for D₂-D₄. The phytochemicals investigated include alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, and phenolics. The moisture, total ash, crude protein, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash and crude lipid contents were 9.30 ± 0.06%, 4.15 ± 0.03%, 1.92 ± 0.00%, 2.18 ± 0.01%, 5.60 ± 0.02%,   6.39 ± 0.01% respectively, while the total alkaloid content was 10.28 ± 0.00%. The leaf extract and ascorbic acid (standard) had IC₅₀ values of 15.30 ± 0.02 and 11.08 ± 0.20 μg/mL, respectively, for their ability to scavenge DPPH radicals. The oral administration of the crude leaf extract to Swiss mice was fundamentally non-toxic up to a dose of 800 mg/kg. In a concentration (dose) dependent manner, the leaf extract demonstrated a suppressive effect on the parasites by the different groups with maximum effect at 800 mg/kg (35.65–42.43%) while the standard drug (chloroquine) gave a suppressive effect of 79.64-95.69%. As a result, this study confirms that Pyrenacantha staudtii hutch and dalz leaves can be used to treat malaria and a number of other illnesses.