The Antisickling Effects of Extracts of Some Selected Vegetables from South-East Nigeria

The work investigated the effects of extracts of leaves of some selected vegetables consumed in South-East Nigeria for their antisickling potency. The vegetable samples included: Mucuna pruriens (Agbala), Pterocarpus santalinoides (Nturukpa), Pterocarpus mildbreadi (Oha) and Piper methysticum (Awa). The phytochemical compositions of the vegetables were quantified as well as the amino acid composition of the leaves extracts using standard methods. The samples were fractionated into crude aqueous extract (CAE), fat-soluble extract (FAS), butanol-soluble extract(BUS) and water- soluble extracts (WAS) respectively. Results of quantitative phytochemical yield show the following: For P. mildbreadi, flavonoid (4.05±0.0%), and terpenoids (3.01±0.0%); for P. methysticum, flavonoid( 8.38±0.00%) and alkaloid (4.79±0.0%); M. pruriens was also rich in flavonoids (10.74±0.0%) and alkaloids (5.08±0.00%). The ascorbic acid concentrations of the leafy extracts are as follows: The mean value of Ascorbic acid is highest in M. pruriens (109.17±0.00) in mg/100g of sample and P. santilinoides (59.33±0.00)mg/100g. Nutritionally, the different leafy vegetable extracts were found to be rich sources of free amino acids and vitamin C. In haemoglobin polymerization inhibition experiment, the relative % inhibition of sickle cell haemoglobin polymerization by each extract was significant (p<0.05). For P. mildbreadi (12.99±0.00%); P methysticum (57.14±0.00 %), M. pruriens(25.97±0.00) and P. santilinoides (51.95±0.00). The Fe2+/ Fe3+ ratio analysis of the extracts on sickle cell blood revealed an increase for the crude aqueous extracts of the samples : P santilinoides (8.54%),M. pruriens (76.32%), P . mildbreadi (108.86%) and a decrease by the same aqueous extract of P. methysticum (-16.32%). Substantial concentrations of amino acids were found in the extracts of the vegetables, some of these include-Arginine, Histidine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine,Asparagine, Glutamine and others, most of which are antisickling amino acids.