Anticancer and antioxidant activities of Guiera senegalensis

ABSTRACT

Medicinal plants contain physiologically active principles that over the years have been exploited in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments. The ethanolic extract of Guiera senegalensis was tested in vitro as anticancer and antioxidant agent as well as for its phenolic and flavonoidal contents. The trypan blue technique was used for the anticancer activity against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cells [EACC] while the antioxidant activity of the plant extract was determined by 2, 2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] assay. The total phenolic and flavonoidal contents were estimated using colorimetric methods. The ethanolic extract at a concentration of 13 microg/ml caused 100% cytotoxic effect against EACC. Moreover, it possessed a considerable antioxidant activity against DPPH radical. Guiera senegalensis extract was found to contain appreciable amounts of phenolic and flavonoidal compounds. It can be concluded that Guiera senegalensis possesses sufficient in vitro anticancer and antioxidant activities to warrant further detailed study of its pharmacology and phytochemistry