Abstract

IN VITRO EVALUATION OF FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING AND ANTIOXIDANT, AND SPASMOLYTIC POTENTIALS OF EXTRCATS, SOLVENT FRACTIONS AND SUBFRACTIONS FROM TRICLISIA GILLETTI (DE WILD) STANER (MENISPERMACEAE) STEM BARK

Kikweta M. C., Tshiodi E. M., Tona L. G., Vlietinck A. J., Pieters L. and Cimanga K. R.*

ABSTRACT

Extreme temperature, drought, heavy metals, nutrient deficiencies, and high salinity are known to be unfavorable conditions for plants and generate high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause oxidative stress. To avoid these obstacles, cells have a complex antioxidant system with enzymatic and non-enzymatic elements. The molecules of the non-enzymatic system act through different action mechanisms, such as enzyme inhibition, chelation of trace elements involved in the production of free radicals, reactive species uptake and activation or increase in protection through other antioxidant defenses (Barua et al., 2014; Bhatti et al., 2015, Chaves et al., 2020). Among these molecules, particularly phenolic compounds, play a fundamental and important role to prevent oxidative stress (Pang et al., 2017; Noblet et al., 2018, Chaves et al., 2020). These compounds are known to act as antioxidants not only for their aptitude or ability to donate hydrogen or electrons, but also because they are stable radical intermediates. They also have protective effects on human healthy when the plants are regularly consumed as food (Chaves et al., 2020). Generally, the antioxidant capacity of phenols in plant extracts is effective at low concentrations in humans and is associated with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancers and other neurodegenerative diseases (Li eta al., 2014; Balmus et al., 2016; Espindola et al., 2019, Chaves et al., 2020, Cimanga et al, 2020, 2021).

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