Browsing by Author "Boadi Owusu Nathaniel"

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    Antimicrobial properties of metal piperidine dithiocarbamate complexes against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans
    (ELSEVIER, 2021) Boadi Owusu Nathaniel; Degbevi Mawuli; Badu Mercy; Saah Ama Selina; Kortei Korley Nii; 0000-0001-8038-1453
    In this study, a series of metal piperidine dithiocarbamate complexes (M = Zn, Cu, Co, Fe, Ni, Bi and Ag) were synthesized and characterized using microelemental, 1 HNMR, mass spectrometry and FT-IR analyses. Antimicrobial properties of the complexes were tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in a 96-well plate, using the broth dilution assay. The antimicrobial activity of the complexes was in the order Zn > Co > Cu > Ag = Bi = Ni > Fe against Staphylococcus aureus and Co > Zn > Fe > Ag = Bi = Cu = Ni against Candida albicans. The results indicate that the complexes were effective against the microorganisms at high concentrations.
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    Development of TiO2-based dye-sensitized solar cells using natural dyes extracted from some plant-based materials
    (ELSEVIER, 2020) Sanda Alio Djibrilla M.; Badu Mercy; Awudza M. A. Johannes; Boadi Owusu Nathaniel
    The need for a green and more environmentally friendly energy production has led to recent research into the use of natural products in the production photovoltaic cells. In this study, TiO2-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using photo-sensitizers made from ten natural dyes extracted from different plant parts (i.e. seeds, stalks, peels and flowers) of some selected plants and using candle soot carbon as a counter electrode. The chemical composition of the materials was determined using basic phytochemical screening assays. The extracted dye materials were characterized using UV and IR methods after which they were used in developing DSSCs. The DSSCs were then characterized under AM 1.5 illuminations to measure their photoelectrochemical properties. The dyes containing carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups showed weak to large absorption under the visible light (400-700 nm) irradiation. The photo-electrochemical performance of the various cells gave an efficiency of as high as 0.18% with open circuit voltages ranging from 0.28 to 0.45 V and short-circuits photocurrent densities from 0.26 to 1.69 mA.cm-1. Better efficiencies can be attained by improving the DSSC constructional parameters.
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    Nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of three varieties of carrot ( Daucus carota )
    (ELSEVIER, 2021) Boadi Owusu Nathaniel; Badu Mercy; Kortei Korley Nii; Saah Ama Selina...et al
    Carrots are a potentially rich source of antioxidants in addition to their nutritional proper- ties. In this study, the nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of three varieties of carrots, namely Kuroda, Pamela and Amazonia cultivated in Ghana were determined. The peroxide scavenging method was used to determine the antioxidant properties of the ethanolic extracts of the carrot varieties at different concentrations. The protein, crude fi- bre, fat and carbohydrate contents of the carrot varieties ranged 6.46 –10.73 %, 7.18 –8.87 %, 1.97 –4.31 % and 6.25 –8.39 % respectively. The three varieties had high moisture contents ranging from 69.06 to 75.30 %. The antioxidant properties were high even at low concentrations of extract, and their activity increased with time in the order Amazonia > kuroda > pamela. Amazonia had the highest fibre, protein and carbohydrate contents and the lowest moisture content, making it the most preferred variety.
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    Optimization of extraction conditions for polyphenols from the stem bark of Funtumia elastica (Funtum) utilizing response surface methodology [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
    (PubMed Central, 2021) Frempong Fadjare Theophilus; Boadi Owusu Nathaniel; Badu Mercy
    Background: The recovery of phenolic compounds is seen as an arduous task because phenolic compounds are available as free aglycones, as sugar or ester conjugates, or as polymers with several monomeric components. Furthermore, phenolic compounds do not disperse evenly and may be connected to cell walls, carbohydrates, or proteins. This study looks at the optimization of factors that affect the efficiency for the extraction of phenolic compounds from the stembark of Funtumia elastica. Methods: Five independent variables (solvent concentration, time, the temperature, solid-liquid ratio, and pH) of the extraction process were selected. Single factor analysis as well as the response surface method was used to evaluate the impact of the selected factors on the total phenolic content. The effect of the extraction factors on the phenolic content was statistically significant (p <0.05). For the response surface method, a five/factor, five/level central composite design used, and a fitted second-order polynomial regression model equation was used to show how the extraction parameters affected the total phenolic recovery. Results: The predicted value (R² of 0.5917) agreed with the adjusted value (R² of 0.7707). The residuals for response predictions were less than 5%. The optimal factors for the extraction were ethanol concentration of 75.99% v/v, extraction time of 193.86 minutes, temperature of 63.66°C, pH of 5.62, and solid-liquid ratio of 1:21.12 g/mL. Actual overall content of the phenolic compounds was validated at 82.83 ± 3.335 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) /g weight of extract, which agreed with the predicted response of 89.467 mg GAE/g of the dried extract under the optimal factors. Conclusions: The rich phenolic content of stem-bark of Funtumia elastica points to its potential as a functional medicinal product to alleviate diseases caused by oxidative stress such as asthma,
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    Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of assorted Carica papaya leaves in Ghana
    (Journal of Medicinal Plants studies, 2016) Alorkpa Jemima Esther; Boadi Owusu Nathaniel; Badu Mercy; Saah Ama Selina
    The bioactive compounds of the leaves of Carica papaya; solo and solomix were extracted using ethanol and n-hexane, and investigated for the presence of secondary metabolites. Both ethanol and n-hexane extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids. Flavonoids, glycosides and saponins were present in only the ethanol extract whereas tannins were present in the n-hexane extract. The bioactivities of the leaf extracts were attributed to their phytochemical constituents. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts were determined against some human pathogenic bacteria and fungi such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans using the agar well diffusion and broth dilution methods with the polar extract being more effective. The ethanol extract demonstrated a significant broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gramnegative bacteria, with the highest activity having a zone of inhibition of 10 mm. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH assay method and the absorbance measured using UV- visible spectrophotometer with ascorbic acid as control. The antioxidant activities of solo and solomix showed IC50 of 1.465x10-2 and 1.364x 10-2 respectively. This study demonstrates the efficacy of ethanolic leaf extracts of C. Papaya as an alternative antibiotic for the development of newer antibacterial agents.
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    Proximate Composition, In vitro Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Properties of Adansonia digitata and Belanites aegyptiaca Seed
    (Journal Of Tropical Pharmacy and Chemistry, 2021) Pedavoah Mary-Magdalene; Boadi Owusu Nathaniel; Badu Mercy; Dzaye Y. Irene
    This study evaluated the nutritional and medicinal properties of seeds from Adansonia digitata (BSF) and Balanite aegyptiaca (DDSF) plants. Proximate chemical composition, mineral elements composition, flavonoids, phenolics, antioxidant capacity, and anti-inflammatory properties were studied. Results obtained revealed that DDSF had the highest moisture, crude fat, and crude protein content of 7.66 %, 42.80 %, 20.37 %, respectively, whilst BSF gave the highest ash, crude fibre, and carbohydrate content. Elemental analysis revealed BSF had the highest Mg content (313.65 mg/100g) and DDSF gave the highest Ca content (118.62 mg/100g). Additionally, DDSF gave the highest total phenolics (18.89 mg TAE/ 100 g), total flavonoids (8.80 mg QE/ 100 g) as well as the highest total antioxidant capacity of (19.62 mg AAE/ 100 g) dry of extract. Based on results obtained in this study, seeds obtained from the Adansonia digitata and Balanite aegyptiaca could be a potential source of functional food and antioxidant agents.