Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties of Choloroform Extract of Chasmanthera dependens Roots

Chasmanthera dependens is a medicinal plant with wide application in African traditional medicine for the management of several pathologies. We report the antioxidant properties of the chloroform extract of C. Dependens root (CECDR) as to auspiciously provide scientific information that could explain some of the reported roles of the plant in human diseases. In vitro studies assayed for 1,1-diphenyl2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). DPPH radical scavenging activity was concentration dependent with an EC50 of 647.67 μg/mL. CECDR showed a positive hydrogen peroxide scavenging with EC50 of 57.78 ± 2.93 μg/mL relative to ascorbic acid standard (EC50: 90.06 μg/mL). The ferric reducing antioxidant power of CECDR at 15.6 μg/mL was 21.18 ± 0.15 µg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) while that of 1000 μg/mL was 0.03 ± 0.00 µg GAE. CECDR at a concentration 15.6 μg/mL showed a TAC of 15.22 ± 7.81 µg ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE) while that of 1000 μg/mL was 0.03 ± 0.00 µg AAE. In vivo analysis of CCl4-induced Wistar rats showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the concentrations of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in the treated groups relative to the untreated control. In conclusion the observed antioxidant properties of CECDR could be attributed to its rich phytochemical repertoire.