Chemical Composition and in Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Ocimum Americanum

This study evaluated chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activity of Ocimum americanum. Standard methods were used in determination of phytochemicals and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV visible detector was used in analyses of carotenoids and vitamins. Chemical compounds in ethyl acetate extracts were determined using GC-MS with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 2011 chemical compounds database. Antioxidant activity was determined by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), phosphomolybdate and reducing power assays. O. americanum contains diverse chemical compounds and the antioxidant activity was high. The ethyl acetate extracts contained 69 chemical compounds ranging from phytosterols, terpenes and fatty acid derivatives, among many others. These chemical compounds and antioxidant activity could be responsible for the efficacy in management of many diseases among the Kenyan societies.