Abstract
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a valuable plant with a potential health benefit because of its extensive bioactive compounds. Leaf extracts of 33 kenaf genotypes were investigated for their polysaccharide, total phenolic, and flavonoid content. The antioxidant properties were evaluated by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays. Antimicrobial capacity was also assessed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using a disc diffusion assay. The polysaccharide content varied from 6.45–16.12 mg glucose per g DW. Total phenolic and flavonoid content ranged from 6.03–21.15 mg GAE/g DW and 1.55–9.24 mg RE/g DW, respectively. Similarly, varied values in the range 20.55–79.99% of inhibition by DPPH, 56.28–88.30% of inhibition by ABTS and 1.26–5.08 mmol Fe2+/g DW by FRAP assays were obtained for antioxidants of the genotype extracts. Extracts from CS4 and CS2 genotypes had the highest antioxidant activities. Kenaf leaves exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Strong correlation was found between antioxidant activity with polysaccharide (DPPH, r = 0.893; ABTS, r = 0.819; FRAP, r = 0.864) and total phenolic content (DPPH, r = 0.850; ABTS, r = 0.959; FRAP, r = 0.953). The results suggested that the kenaf leaves could be used as a natural antioxidants and antimicrobial in food industries.
Highlights
Even with the improvement in living standards, large numbers of people suffer from non-infectious diseases associated with free radicals which could be controlled by antioxidants [1]
Polysaccharides are abundant in plants as bioactive substances, but little is known about the polysaccharide content in kenaf
When comparing values in this study with other medicinal plants, kenaf leaves have a comparable amount of polysaccharide
Summary
Even with the improvement in living standards, large numbers of people suffer from non-infectious diseases associated with free radicals which could be controlled by antioxidants [1]. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a herbaceous, dicotyledonous plant originated from Africa with a wide distribution encouraged by climate adaptation [12]. It has been cultivated for years for textiles, paper, and cordage. Tea prepared from kenaf leaves has been recognized as a supplement to the human diet [18] These medicinal benefits are revealed due to the presence of polysaccharide, flavonoid [13,22], and phenolic [14,17] compounds with antioxidant and antibacterial activities in the kenaf plant [8,12]. A previous study reported that the polysaccharides extracted from kenaf seed have a cholesterol lowering effect in rats [23]
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