Background: Clausena anisata
(Willd). Hook (Rutaceae), also known as
Iperepesi in Xhosa language is a medicinal plant widely used by
herbalists for the treatment and/or management of several ailments such as chronic cough, tuberculosis and lung ulceration in Eastern Cape, South
Africa. With reference to the information gathered in our previous study, we investigated the plant’s phyto-constituents, as well as its inhibitory
effects using aqueous and two different organic solvent of extractions in order to justify its folkloric usage.
Methods: Antioxidant activity of the plant was screened through 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-
sulfonic acid) (ABTS) diammonium salt, nitric oxide (NO), and ferric reducing power. Total phenols, flavonoids, flavonols, proanthocyanidins,
tannins, alkaloids and saponins were investigated using spectroscopic techniques.
Results: There were no significant differences in the flavonoid and proanthocyanidins contents between the leaves and bark extracts of
C. anisata
respectively, while the total phenolic content of the bark extract of
C. anisata was significantly higher than that of the
C. anisata leaf. The acetone
extracts of both the leaf and bark indicated strong antioxidant activities.
Conclusion: The observed activities of the plant extracts could be attributed to the high contents of the phenolics, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins,
proanthocyanidins and tannin. The acetone extracts of the plants have also exhibited strong antioxidant activities
in vitro. It has been established
scientifically that oxidative stress is linked with several degenerative conditions and diseases; the inhibitory effects of these plant extracts on the
free radicals could logically justify the folkloric usage of
C. anisata leaf and bark in the Eastern Cape for the treatment of respiratory infection
diseases.
