Abstract
There is a continued interest to screen plant extracts for their antioxidant properties, in light of the fact that antioxidant activities parallel anticancer activities, amongst their ability to combat other diseases. Cancer is one of the diseases that has a high mortality status in developed countries and is on the rise in developing countries. Plant extracts have been tested for their antimicrobial, anticancer, Antidiabetic, insect repellant and a range of other biological activities. Since 1990s, antioxidant research has expanded significantly, due to its potential benefits in disease prevention and health promotion. Guyana, a country located on the mainland of South America and whose rich diverse flora needs continual screening for plants with a range of pharmaceutical and medicinal activities of which, antioxidant is one. In addition, the isolation of known and unknown natural antioxidants may contribute to novel drug discovery. This article is a mini review of plants/plant extracts that have exhibited antioxidant properties.
Highlights
Antioxidants are chemical compounds or mixture of compounds, which when present in low concentrations are used to prevent the oxidation of lipids, sugars and proteins and DNA that can generate aldehydes, ketones, esters and other products that can be harmful to living systems
Thirty (30) plants aqueous extracts were investigated for their antioxidant properties via several methods such as DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging capacity assay, Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) assay, and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Potential (FRAP) [20]
A significant relationship existed between antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content, indicating that phenolic compounds are the major contributors to the antioxidant properties of these plants [20]
Summary
Antioxidants are chemical compounds or mixture of compounds, which when present in low concentrations are used to prevent the oxidation of lipids, sugars and proteins and DNA that can generate aldehydes, ketones, esters and other products that can be harmful to living systems. It’s highly imperative that research proliferate with regards to anticancer and antioxidant activities as there are an alarming increase in the deadly cancer disease worldwide and in Guyana Plant parts such as stems, leaves and fruits rich in antioxidant properties are good in combat against cancer. The chromatographic purification of the crude plant extracts from the Guyanese flora can lead to known and unknown natural products, whose antioxidants properties can be investigated and compared with the crude plant extracts. This forms the basis for novel antioxidant drugs discovery.
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