Abstract
Phytochemical screening carried out on the stem and leave extracts of Euphorbia heterophylla (Euphorbieacea) confirmed the presence of Carbohydrates, gycosides, reducing sugar, saponins, taninns, phlobatanins, cardiac glycosides, steroids, triterpenes, and flavonoid. cytotoxicity test using brine shrimp lethality assay gave the LC50 value (µg/cm3 ) are 20.67, 25.07, 158.56,and 176.55 for n-Hexane fraction, Ethyl Acetate fraction, Butanol fraction and Aqueous fraction of the stem while 23.50, 30.20, 164.10 and 179.80 for n-hexane fraction, Ethyl Acetate fraction, Butanol fraction and Aqueous fraction of the leave extracts. The results of antioxidant properties of the stem and leaves extracts showed that the extracts exhibited strong activity as a radical scavenger in the experiment using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl radical (DPPH) indicating that the plant has strong ability to donate hydrogen when compared with the standard butyrate hydroxyl anisole (BHA). The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was carried out against Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Candida albicans, the results showed moderate to low activity for the test organisms.
Highlights
Plants or herbs have been found to have medicinal and therapeutic importance in the prevention, treatment or cure of diseases and ailment
The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was carried out against Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Candida albicans, the results showed moderate to low activity for the test organisms
This study investigated the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial activity of stem and leave extracts of Euphorbia heterophylla plant
Summary
Plants or herbs have been found to have medicinal and therapeutic importance in the prevention, treatment or cure of diseases and ailment. This knowledge has been passed down from one generation to another either verbally or in writing (Sofowora, 2008).The universal role of plants in the treatment of diseases is exemplified by their employment in all major systems of medicine (Okeniyi et al, 2007). Euphorbia heterophylla is a toxic plant which belongs to the family of Euphorbiaceae. It is commonly called Mexican fire plant, milk weed and Spurge weed in English. Despite the toxicity hazard of this plant, it has various medicinal properties which include its use in the reatment of gonorrheal, respiratory tract infection, malaria, eczema, asthma and wart cure
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