Background: This paper provides vital information about the pharmacognostic and physiochemical parameters of Melastomastrum capitatum leaf. The leaf has been used to treat ovarian cancer by the Fulani people in Nguroje Taraba State Nigeria. Objective: To evaluate the pharmacognostic and physiochemical parameters of M. capitatum leaf. Methods: Pharmacognostic parameters such as leaf surface data, cell inclusions and macroscopic data as well phytochemical screening of leaf extract were determined using standard procedures. Results: Phytochemical screening of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fractions of leaf methanol extract of leaf showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, gums and mucilage, phytosterols, carbohydrates, proteins, phytosterols and saponins with no anthracene detected. The n-hexane fraction showed only tannins and fixed oils while n-butanol and aqueous also showed the presence of most metabolites indicated in ethyl acetate fraction. Paracytic type of stomata was observed on the upper surface of leaf with a covering trichome. Prismatic calcium oxalate crystals were observed as well on the leaves. Moisture contents and extractive values ranged from 0.41 to 11.04. Conclusion: Information derived from this study will help in formulating pharmacopeia standards of drug and in taxonomic identification of the plant.
Background: The Asteraceae is one of the largest families among the angiosperms, consisting of over 1,620 genera and 23,600 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees which are found in the world. They are unique due to the possession of composite inflorescence heads and single-seed achene fruits. Members exert various levels of pharmacological activities such as anticancer, anti-inflammation, antimicrobial, antimalaria and antidiabetic due to the presence of phytoconstituents contained in their leaves, stembarks, flowers, and roots. Some of the members have shown potent cytotoxic effects on various cancers like breast, cervical, ovarian and blood cancers. Main body: Due to the side effects caused by chemotherapeutic drugs on cancer patients, there is a paradigm shift towards natural remedies for cancer by researchers. Studies carried out on different species belonging to the Asteraceae showed that they possessed potential cytotoxic and therapeutic effects on cancer cells like MCF-7 breast cancer cells, liver, leukaemia, ovarian and cervical cancer. The anticancer potentials of the Asteraceae were reported to have been due to the presence of phytoconstituents isolated from the various parts of some selected members. These metabolites or phytoconstituents include flavonoids, sesquiterpenes, alkaloids, and various types of glycosides. These compounds were found to inhibit angiogenesis, prevent metastasis and induce cellular apoptosis in cancer cells. Various techniques have been deployed to characterize and elucidate the chemical structures of isolated compounds from some members. These techniques are UV-vis, FTIR, GC-MS, LC-MS and NMR. This present review revealed the presence of potential anticancer compounds and the need to screen more members of the family for their anticancer activities against various cancer cells. In this case, various search engines such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, BASE, ResearchGate, DOAJ, Science.gov, Semantic Scholar and CORE were used in this study. Conclusion: This review showed that despite the numerous beneficial anticancer therapeutic potentials of the Asteraceae, only a few members of the family were screened for their anticancer activity. There is a need, therefore, for more studies on many members towards the isolation of potential anticancer compounds. This will help in the discovery of novel compounds that will serve as lead compounds for anticancer drug development.
Extract from Cnestis ferruginea leaves has been used worldwide due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in treating related ailments. The aim of this study is to investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidant studies of the extract of Cnestis ferruginea DC (Connaraceae) leaves. The methanol extract was evaluated for the presence of phytochemicals. The methanol extract was evaluated for antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus spp. Thereafter, antioxidant activities were also carried out with DPPH (2,2- Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) and FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power) methods using ascorbic acid as standard for DPPH and FRAP. The total phenol and total flavonoid contents were determined using garlic acid and quercetin respectively. The results indicate the presence of phytochemicals such as, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, and flavonoids. The results also indicate that all the organisms were sensitive to the various extract concentrations used (100 – 6.25 mg/mL). The minimum inhibitory concentration demonstrated by the organisms include, E. coli (12.5mg/mL), B. subtilis (6.25mg/mL), S. aureus (12.5mg/mL), P. aeruginosa (6.25mg/mL), C. Albicans (100mg/mL), and A. spp (100mg/mL). The mean % inhibition for DPPH increases with increasing concentrations compared to that of FRAP that decreases with increasing concentrations. The total phenol and flavonoid contents of the crude extract of C. ferruginea leaves are 82.89 + 0.06 mg/GAE/g and 57.09 + 0.04 mg/QAE/g respectively. This study showed that the plant extract exhibited good antimicrobial and antioxidant activity against the test microorganisms.
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