Evaluation of Antioxidant Activities of Celosia trigyna (Linn) Extracts African Extinction Vegetable

Celosia trigyna recognized as a known ancient vegetable unfortunately unpopular in this modern age. In this study, antioxidant activities of Celosia trigyna leaves were evaluated in crude extract (methanol) and different fractions; chloroform, hexane, methanol and ethylacetate. Antioxidant evaluation were established using total antioxidant activity (phosphomolybdeum) and antiradical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)) and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) methods. C. trigyna leaves showed the highest values of Total phenolics content (TP) (0.162mg, Rutin equivalent per g methanol fraction) while the lowest value of TP (0.092mg ± 0.001 GAEg-1) was recorded in the chloroform fraction. Ethylacetate fraction of C. trigyna leave extract was highest (0.192 ± 0.003mg GAEg-1) in Total Antioxidant Activity. Interestingly the C. trigyna methanol fraction exhibited the highest percentage inhibition for both DPPH and H2O2 scavenging activities of 89.22% and 88.24% respectively at concentration 0.6mg/ml. All the fractions including the C. trigyna crude methanol extract showed strong scavenging activity on DPPH as the concentration increases while the scavenging activity of the C. trigyna leaves methanol extract and fractions were high at 0.6mg/ml concentration. C. trigyna is presented as an alternative natural antioxidant to synthetic antioxidants used in foods and pharmaceutical industries.