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Online ISSN : 2349-8080 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorinchiefijcrbp@gmail.com |
The study investigated the antioxidant, hemagglutinating and larvicidal activities of protein isolates from the seeds of two underutilized plant species (Pterocarpus osun and Bosquiea angolensis) in other to establish their medicinal value. The antioxidant power was assessed by employing DPPH radical scavenging assay, ferric reducing power assay and total antioxidant capacity (phosphomolybdenum method). Radical scavenging ability of the seeds protein extracts were found to be concentration dependent with IC50 value of 0.58 ± 0.05 mg mL-1 and 3.98 ± 0.28 mg mL-1 for P. osun and B. angolensis respectively. At 1 mg mL-1, the reducing power potential of the proteins from P. osun and B. angolensis seed was 29.57± 0.25 and 2.67± 0.28 mg Ascorbic acid/g dry weight respectively. Total antioxidant capacity assay of the extract follows the same trend. The presence of lectin was detected by hemagglutinating activity assay which was carried out by serial dilution using trypinised and non-trypinised erythrocytes from four different species. P. osun seeds protein revealed a strong specificity for rabbit erythrocyte only and hemagglutinating activity was completely inhibited by mannose and its derivatives while B. angolensis seeds protein was galactose specific and agglutinated rabbit and human red blood cells with preference for rabbit erythrocytes. The antioxidant potential and hemagglutinating activity of the seeds extract were heat stable up to 50°C. The protein extracts from the two plants seeds did not show any larvicidal activity against the species of mosquito studied (Culex quinquefasciatus). These investigations conclude that the seeds protein extracts of P. osun and B. angolensis contain significant antioxidant and hemagglutinating activities which could contribute drastically to their medicinal value as well as their pharmaceutical applications.
