Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Amino acid, Antioxidant and Ion Profiles of Carpolobia lutea Leaf (Polygalaceae)

Lucky Legbosi Nwidu¹ , Eduardo Maffud Cilli², Wagner Vilegas³

¹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria; ²Department of Biochemistry; ³Department of Organic Chemistry â€“ Chemistry Institute - SÃ£o Paulo State University â€“ UNESP- CP 355, CEP 14801-970, Araraquara, SP, Brazil.

For correspondence:- Lucky Nwidu Email: menelucky@yahoo.com Tel:+2348033417432

Received: 18 November 2011 Accepted: 19 August 2012 Published: 18 October 2012

Citation: Nwidu LL, Cilli EM, Vilegas W. Amino acid, Antioxidant and Ion Profiles of Carpolobia lutea Leaf (Polygalaceae). Trop J Pharm Res 2012; 11(5):807-813 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v11i5.15

© 2012 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the amino acid, antioxidant and ionic profiles of Carpolobia lutea leaf (Polygalaceae) extract (CLL).

Methods: The powdered leaf was macerated and subjected to gradient solvent extraction with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol for 72 h to obtain their respective fractions. Amino acid analysis was by cation-exchange chromatography using automated amino acid analyser. Antioxidant potential was obtained by spectrophotometric assay using 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl DPPH while elemental and ionic analyses were carried out by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and potentiometric titration, respectively.

Results: Proline, alanine, serine, valine, glycine, glutamate and lysine were found in the ethanol fraction while lysine, phenyl alanine, glycine and serine were present in the ethyl acetate fraction but not in the non-polar fractions, n-hexane and chloroform. The ethyl acetate fraction contained more lysine, phenyl alanine, glycine and serine the other leaf fractions. Minimal radical scavenging activity of all the fractions was recorded. The most abundant cations in the extract were potassium and phosphorus (2.16 ± 0.05 and 1.90 ± 0.06 mg/g, respectively) while the most abundant anion was phosphate with a concentration of 23.23 ± 4.61 mg/g for the aqueous leaf fraction.

Conclusion: The study shows that CLL fractions contain variety of amino acids which could promote wound healing, as well as major and minor elemental ions which, as essential body electrolytes, are required for various metabolic processes in the body.

Keywords: Carpolobia leaf, Polygalaceae, Amino acid, Antioxidant, Ionic profile