Learnmore Kambizi
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa
Title: Ethno-botanical studies on medicinal plants used for the treatment of skin infections in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Biography
Biography: Learnmore Kambizi
Abstract
The methanol extracts of some commonly used medicinal plants used for treatment of skin infections and disorders were screened for their antioxidant activity using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. The free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The analysis was performed using a Phoenix-2000 V UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The methanol extracts of Protorhus longifolia, Gnidia capitata, Macaranga capensis, Syzygium cordatum and Hypoxis hemerocallidea showed significantly higher free radical scavenging activity than that of ascorbic acid while Kniphofia drepanophylla showed weak antioxidant activity. The IC50 of former plant extracts were 11.5, 14.4, 14.6, 40.0, 41.2 and 44.0 µg/ml respectively while the IC50 value for K. drepanophylla could not be determined at 100µg/ml. The DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the plant extracts increased with increasing concentration. Generally, results revealed that these medicinal plants are potential sources of natural antioxidant.