Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of “Limolanii” grass and perceptions of locals on its survival in the era of changing climate
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Date
2022
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Heliyon
Abstract
The aromatic Spear grass Hyparrhena rufa (locally called “Limolanii”) found in the Saboba District of the Northern
Region of Ghana is ingeniously used for dietary, medicinal, and other purposes. Focus group discussions were
conducted in communities where “Limolanii” grows to assess the local perception of the importance of the grass
and changing climate impacts on its continued existence. Findings indicated that the plant is of immense
importance to the locals but has not been validated scientifically and reported for its current use. The communities
are also hopeful of future socio-economic benefits of "Limolanii" but expressed concern about the lack of
remediation practices to address issues of climate change, increased use of agrochemicals, urbanization, etc.,
which can lead to the extinction of the grass. “Limolanii” was therefore evaluated for its nutritional and antinutritional
content by proximate analysis and ethanolic extract evaluated for some medicinal properties. The
extract was assessed for its anti-inflammatory property using the carrageenan-induced oedema in chicks’ model
while antioxidant property evaluated using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity,
Phosphomolybdenum (Total Antioxidant Capacity), Total Phenol (Folin-Ciocalteu), and Total Flavonoid Content
(Aluminium-chloride colorimetric) assays. The plant showed good nutritional content, extract exhibited a dosedependent
inhibition of oedema with maximal percentage inhibition of 41.05% at 300 mg/kg body weight
and noticeable antioxidant activities. Flavonoids, coumarins, and other phytochemicals detected in the plant
could be responsible for these activities, however, at certain levels, these phytochemicals could act as antinutrients.
“Limolanii” exhibits medicinal properties backing its use traditionally as food supplements and
herbs, hence the need to explore its possible commercial cultivation and embark on community sensitization to
encourage people to protect and expand its production.
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This article is published by Heliyon and is also available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12018
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