Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant Activities and Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of the Fruit Pulp and Leaves Extracts of   Syzygium cumini L.  (Black Plum)

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Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant Activities and Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of the Fruit Pulp and Leaves Extracts of   Syzygium cumini L.  (Black Plum)

ABSTRACT

Syzygium cumini L. also known as Black Plum in English, Dinya in Hausa, Oriri in Yoruba and Uchakoro in Igbo is an edible fruit, well known for its antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antidiarrheal, free radical scavenging, radioprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, gastroprotective, cardioprotective, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties. The crude extracts of the fruit pulp and leaves of S. cumini were subjected to phytochemical screening, antioxidant activities evaluation using DPPH and the liquid chromatographic examination. The tests revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids, except carbohydrates (a macromolecule) and steroids in both the fruit pulp and leaves. Both the fruit pulp and leaves contain a wide variety of antioxidant related natural products. But the leaves were found to contain more active compounds than the fruits. The chromatograms of both the leaves and fruit pulp had seventeen (17) and five (5) peaks respectively. Furthering the proof that the leaves had more antioxidant activities than the fruit pulp. From the results of the three (3) analysis, it is evident that the plant was rich in different classes of phytochemicals that are widely responsible for the plants bioactivities. Further investigations on the plant extracts is strongly recommended especially other bioactivities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, antinflammation, etc. Cytotoxicity test is also required to establish tolerable concentration at which the plant parts are safe for consumption particularly in ethno medicine.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Nature is the richest bio-resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs (Ncube et al., 2008). Medicinal plants are the best source of variety of drugs and about 80% of individuals in developed countries use traditional medicine containing compounds derived from medicinal plants (Castello et al., 2002). Plants contain phytochemicals which occur naturally in the leaves, stem bark, fruits, seeds and roots. They defend and protect the plant from various diseases (Krishnaiah et al., 2007). A sizeable number of the world population relies mainly on plants and their plant extracts for traditional medicinal purposes. This concept of using plants for medicinal purposes, is an ancient practice. It started around 2500 and 500 BC (Nair et al., 2007).  Various societies across the world have shown great interest in curing and treating diseases using plants based drugs.

Myrtaceae or the myrtle family is a family of hermaphroditic dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales (Veigas et al., 2007).  All species are woody, contain essential oils (which are reported for their uses in medicine) (Reynertson et al., 2005). The flower parts in multiples of four or five. The members of this family are mostly trees (Eucalyptus, Syzygium, Psidium) or shrub (Carreya) very rarely herbs. Some of the species of Eucalyptus may attain a height of 300 ft. (Wilson et al., 2011). The stems have secretory cavities and internal phloem in the pith. Leaves are opposite (usually) or spiral, rarely whorled, simple, glandular-punctate or pellucid, and often coriaceous, with stipules present and small or absent. The inflorescence is variable. The flowers are bisexual, acti-nomorphic, bracteate, epiperigynous, rarely perigynous (Wilson et al., 2007). The calyx consists of 4–5 imbricate sepals. The corolla consists of 4–5 petals (Srivastava and Chandra, 2013). The stamens are centripetal, distinct or connate into 4 or 5 groups. Anthers are loculicidal or poricidal in dehiscence. The gynoecium is syncarpous, with an inferior (rarely halfinferior or superior) ovary, 2–5 carpels, and 2–5 locules. The style is terminal; the stigma is capitate or lobed. Placentation is axile (being basal-axile to apical-axile) (parietal if unilocular); ovules are anatropous or campylotropous, bitegmic or uniteg-mic, 2–∞ per locule (Srivastava and Chandra,

2013). Nectarines are present, as a disk atop the ovary or on the inner hypanthium. The fruit is a berry or loculicidal capsule (rarely a drupe or nut). The family contains 100 genera and 300 species out of which 116 species are found in India.

The genus Syzygium is one of the genera of the myrtle family. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa including Nigeria, and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. Its highest levels of diversity occur from Malaysia to northeastern Australia, where many species are very poorly known and many more have not been described taxonomically (Mahmoud et al., 2001). Many fruits of the family have a rich history of uses both as edibles and as traditional medicines in divergent ethnobotanical practices throughout the tropical and subtropical world (Reynertson et al., 2005).

Syzygium cumini L. also known as black plum in English and Dinya in Hausa, Oriri in Yoruba and Uchakoro in Igbo (Reynertson et al., 2005). Other common names of the fruit are kalojum (Bangla), Jamun (Hindi), java plum, black plum and Indian blackberry, it is a large evergreen tree up to 30 meters (30m) height and girth of 3.6 meters (3.6m) with a bole up to 15 meters (15m). It is widely distributed in African countries like Nigeria it is found mostly in northern parts like Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Borno, Jos, Zaria and Oyo states, the plant is a widely distributed forest tree of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, other countries include Senegal, Sudan, Angola, Mozambique, Thailand, Philippines, Eastern Africa, South America, and warmer regions of the United States of America (Ramya et al., 2012). For long in the period of recorded history, the tree is known to have grown in the Indian sub-continent, and many others adjoin regions of South Asia such as India, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It was long ago introduced into and became naturalized in Malaysia. In southern Asia, the tree is venerated by Buddhists, and it is commonly planted near Hindu temples because it is considered sacred to Lord Krishna (Morton, 1987). The plant has also been introduced to many different places where it has been utilized as a fruit producer, as an ornamental and also for its timber (Morton, 1987). The fruit is rich in carbohydrates, free amino acids, water soluble vitamins, minerals, and essential oils (Baliga et al., 2011; Ayyanar and Subash-Babu, 2012; Luiz et al., 2018). The leaves are used in dermopathies, constipation, leucorrhea, and diabetes; fruits are used in the treatment of pharyngitis and splenic diseases; whereas barks are used as astringents, anthelmintic, and carminative. Furthermore, seeds are used as astringents, diuretic, and especially in the treatment of diabetes (Radha and Mathew, 2007).

1.2 Botanical Description

Black plum or jamun is a tropical evergreen tree that grows up to 25-30 meters (80-100 feet) tall, with white gray-colored stems with coarse and discolored lower bark. The leaves have a characteristic smell like turpentine, simple, dark green, opposite, oblong-oval or elliptical, glossy, smooth, leathery in touch and blunt or tapering at the apex point, and they are 5-25 centimeters long and 5-10 centimeters wide in size. (Adelia et al., 2011) The midrib of the leaves is prominent and yellowish in color when mature and the leaf blades have many lateral veins closely parallel. The colors of flowers are white, pinkish, appear in clusters about 4-10 centimeters (cm) long, and each being 1-2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide in size across with the four to five united petals and many stamens. The calyx looks like funnel shaped. The fruits appear in the clusters form of 10-50, ovoid, and a one seeded berry, 2-4 centimeters (2-4cm) long, dark purple, shiny red, dark brown or nearly black in color. The fruit is generally astringent, sometime unpalatable and flavor which varies from sour to sweet (Ayyanar et al., 2012).

Taxonomical classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Myrtales

Family: Myrtaceae

Genus: Syzygium

Species: cumini

Binomial name: Syzygium cumini L. (Joshi, 2004).

Synonyms of S. cumini are Eugenia jambolana Lam., Myrtus cumini Linn., Syzygium jambolana DC., Syzygium jambolanum (Lam.) DC., Eugenia djouant Perr., Calyptranthes jambolana Willd., Eugenia cumini (Linn.) Druce. and Eugenia caryophyllifolia Lam.

 

 

Fig 1. Syzgium cumini: (a) leaf, (b) Flowering phase, (c) Small tall plant before flowering, (d) Fruiting phase, (e) Mature fruit, (f) Mature Tree

 

1.3 Statement of the Research Problem

The leaves and fruits of S. cumini have been reported to possess a wide range of ethno medicinal applications in the treatment of diabetes, constipation, leucorrhoea, stomachalgia, fever, gastropathy, strangury, dermopathy and inhibit blood discharge in the feces (Sagrawat et al., 2006; Gowri and Vasantha, 2010). Geographical location as well as environmental nutritional compositions may cause variations in plant phyto-constituents (Sagrawat et al., 2006).

Therefore, this study was designed and conducted to examine the phytochemical compositions and antioxidant activities of the fruit pulp and the leaves extract of S. cumini in Nigeria.

 

1.4 Justification for the Study

There is paucity of information on the antioxidant activities of the plant in Nigeria. This study will provide information on the phytochemical compositions of the fruit pulp commonly consumed raw, and the antioxidant potential of the leaves extract frequently used in traditional medicine. The results will be a valuable addition to published data readily available, and serve as a baseline data for further investigations of the Nigeria taxa.

1.5 Aim and Objectives of the Research

1.5.1 Aim

The aims of this study is to

  1. investigate the phytochemical compounds of both fruit pulp and leaves extracts II. determine the antioxidant properties of the extracts in (i) above.

 

1.5.2 Objectives

The specific objectives of the study were to;

  1. Extract the phytochemicals present in the fruit pulp and leaves of cumini using ethanol as solvent for cold extraction.
  2. Determine the phytochemical constituents of the fruit pulp and leaves extracts.
  • Determine the antioxidant properties of the fruit pulp and leaves extracts using 2,2diphenylpicrylhydrazine (DPPH) radical scavenging assay.
  1. Identify the compounds that may be responsible for the antioxidant properties.

Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant Activities and Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of the Fruit Pulp and Leaves Extracts of   Syzygium cumini L.  (Black Plum)

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