In vitro anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities and FTIR analysis of Sclerocarya birrea root

Abstract

Sclerocarya birrea, has been used as a medicinal plant in folkloric medicine for managing inflammation, stomach disorders, infections and metabolic disorders in Africa. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of ethanol and aqueous root extracts (ERE and ARE) of S. birrea. Phytochemical screening was performed using standard methods. In vitro anthelmintic activity of both extracts was investigated against Eudrilus eugeniae (Earthworms). In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of both extracts was evaluated using egg albumin denaturation method. The antioxidant activity was determined by employing H2O2 scavenging assay, DPPH radical scavenging assay and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) phosphomolybdenum assay method. FTIR analysis was conducted on both the crude and the purified ethanol extracts. Column Chromatographic separation was performed on the ethanol extract using three different solvent systems of increasing polarity (chloroform, methanol and water) and six fractions (A to F) were collected. The anthelmintic activity of ARE and ERE at test concentrations was observed to be significantly (P