PHYTONUTRIENTS, ANTIOXIDANTS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ANALYSIS OF PEPEROMIA PELLUCIDA

Abstract

The effectiveness of fruits and vegetables in the management of various forms of ailments and disorders has been attributed to the presence of bioactive components. Most fruits and vegetables are only available for a season and perish easily. Peperomia pellucida is a seasonal vegetable that is usually available only during rainy season. The study investigated the nutritional contents, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Peperomia pellucida as well as the effects of drying on these activities. Methanolic extract of fresh and dried leaves and stem of Peperomia pellucida were subjected to phytochemical screening and nutritional analysis including estimation of soluble proteins, sugars and amino acids. Antioxidant analysis included vitamin C and vitamin E estimation, assay of DPPH-free radical scavenging activity and antioxidant reducing power while anti-inflammatory analyses included assay of membrane stability activity and albumin denaturation inhibition. All procedures were carried out using standard methods. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of a number of vital phytochemicals including alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, tanins, triterpenoids and xanthoproteins. Phytochemicals present in dried leaves of the plant were found to be higher than what obtained in the fresh leaves while fresh vegetables were found to have nutritional content (Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Protein, Soluble sugar and free amino acid) than the dried vegetable. Furthermore, both fresh and dired leaf extracts of P. pellucida exhibited a wide range of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials which were found to be comparable to what obtained in standard drugs. Peperomia Pellucida is a vegetable of high nutritional value and has prospects of being used in the management of various diseases in which oxidative stress and inflammation are implicated. Furthermore, Processing (drying) of the vegetable elicits a great reduction in the nutritional contents. This could be due to dehydration and denaturation of the vital components of the vegetable.