Title : Phenolic, antioxidant quantification and NMR analysis of Moringa oleifera L. plant extracts
Abstract:
Moringaceae, one of the most prominent plant families, includes species with high economic, ecological, and medicinal importance because of their potent phytochemicals. M. oleifera, commonly known as Horse radish is a small, fast, growing, evergreen, deciduous tree. It is among the most preferred medicinal plant globally because its plant parts contribute significantly to people’s health because of its antispasmodic, diuretic, expectorant, and abortifacient properties, owing to its high antioxidant and phytochemical content. However, temperature, altitude, and region are known to affect the phytochemical content of a plant. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the phenolic content and antioxidant properties of aqueous, acetone, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of M. oleifera that grow in Alice, Eastern Cape. Further characterization of the extracts was carried out using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The total phenolic content of M. oleifera extracts was estimated and measured spectrophotometrically. The 2,2-diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ABTS were used to investigate the extract’s antioxidant content. Results revealed that methanolic extract had significantly high TPC (68 GAE/g), whereas phenolic compounds in other extracts were slightly lower, with acetone having (51 GAE/g), ethanol (41 GAE/g), and water (34 GAE/g). The antioxidant activities of extracts varied among extracts. They were concentration-dependent, with methanol having higher activity, followed by acetone, ethanol, and aqueous. The NMR results revealed phytochemical compounds. Findings from this study indicate that M. oleifera growing Alice could be used for developing natural antioxidants and bioactive agents for health-promoting activities.
Audience take away:
(Try to list 3-5 specific items)
• The audience will be able to acquire knowledge about medicinal plants as one of the alternatives for disease prevention and cure.
• This will help the audience in incorporating medicinal plant extracts in their treatment regimens to prevent and cure.
• Furthermore, the presentation will stimulate the audience to consider developing a product from medicinal plant extracts for disease prevention and cure. and formulate a product from medicinal plant extracts in future
