Abstract

 
 
 
 Purpose: To investigate the effect of different soil textures on chemical composition and antioxidant properties of essential oils from Solanum nigrum.
 Methods: Four soils of differing texture were formulated from soil under fallow to cultivate S. nigrum in a glasshouse. Essential Oil was extracted from fresh shoots by solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antioxidant properties were assayed (DPPH) and ABTS
 Results: GC-MS profiling revealed variations in the quality index (QI), number of chemical constituents and antioxidant results of S. nigrum oil. Geraniol and citronellol were the two principal components. The highest activity of the antioxidant was found in plants cultivated on clay loam soil. Fifty percent (50%) Inhibitory Concentration (IC50) ranged from 1.196 to 1.594 μg/mL and 0.067 to 3.59 μg /mL in DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively.
 Conclusions: This research work indicates that soil texture influences the oil quality, quantity and chemical composition of oil extracted from S. nigrum shoots. Essential oil extracts from S. nigrum grown on clay loam soils recorded the highest antioxidant properties.
 
 
 
Highlights
The folkloric use of nutraceutical medicinal plants has put further declaration on the importance of plants in human health
The chemical compounds from GCMS analysis of the volatile oil from S. nigrum samples were identified from different soil types
The components were characterized by a mass spectral survey using the NIST mass spectral search program and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) Library
Summary
The folkloric use of nutraceutical medicinal plants has put further declaration on the importance of plants in human health. The report that diseases such as cancer, hepatotoxicity and others can be controlled if or when antioxidants, normally from natural plant foods or products are assimilated is highly encouraging [1]. Other reports have confirmed the ability of rich antioxidant containing food of plant origin in the prevention of cancer. The bioactive compounds in the plants have been confirmed better and with fewer side effects when compared to the chemically synthesised compounds [2]. The effectiveness of these compounds may be considered for use in both chemoprevention and chemotherapy of cancer [3]. All encouraging pieces of information on biomedical activities of plants gave the insight
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