IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF STEM EXTRACTS OF CROTON MEMBRANACEUS

Croton membranaceus is a tropical plant that grows wildly in some West African countries. Though several parts of this plant are used for the treatment of diverse disease conditions, its root extracts are traditionally used mainly in Ghana for the management of prostate diseases. This present study aimed to investigate the in-vitro and in-vivo antioxidant activities of the stem extracts of C. membranaceus and assess their total phenolic and flavonoid contents. DPPH free radical scavenging method was employed in the preliminary screening for antioxidant activities of the direct aqueous (CMASE) and sequential fractions (SECM) of the pulverized stem of C. membranceus: hexane, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous. In–vivo antioxidant effects of CMASE on liver antioxidant enzymes/markers [Glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA)] in Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rats after 90 days were also investigated. In-vitro investigations revealed that all SECM and CMASE had some antioxidant activities. Ethanolic and ethyl acetate fractions exhibited the highest antioxidant activities with EC₅₀ values of 0.35 and 1.41 mg/ml. Phenols were present in the SECM and CMASE. Flavonoids were present in all the fractions except the CMASE and sequential aqueous fraction. CMASE induced non-significant dose-dependent elevations of mean liver SOD, GSH, and CAT levels but marginal decline in MDA levels in the treated rat groups. SECM and CMASE possess mild antioxidant activities in-vitro and in-vivo, contributing to mitigating oxidative stress-related diseases such as benign prostatic disease.