Antioxidant Properties and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Cucumeropsis Edulis (Seeds)
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Research Square
Abstract
This study sought to explore the medicinal properties of extracts obtained from C. edulis seeds. The
seeds were obtained from farms in the Upper East Region of Ghana, dried and milled into coarse powder.
Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol were used to extract the bioactive compounds present in the
seeds by the cold maceration method. Antioxidant properties of the extracts were evaluated using the
Phosphomolybdenum and DPPH free radical scavenging assays. The Folin-Ciocalteu assay was used to
estimate the total phenol content and carrageenan-induced paw oedema model in chicks employed for
the anti-inflammatory effects. The results showed that methanol extract had the highest antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory activities while the petroleum ether extract showed the least activity. The antiinflammatory
activity of the methanol extract (31.3% oedema inhibition at 300 mg/kg body weight) was
however lower than diclofenac (54.04% oedema inhibition at 100 mg/kg body weight), the reference drug.
Compounds such as tannins, alkaloids, and carotenoids detected during phytochemical screening may
be responsible for the activities observed.
Description
This article is published by Research Square and is also available at https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-823782/v1