INVITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF BRIDELIA FERRUGINEA (STEM BARK)

The antioxidative and neuroprotective potential of Brideliaferruginea, a widely medicinal plant in sub-tropical Africa and part of Asia were investigated. The ethanolic extract of Bridelliaferruginea bark in this study showed inhibition against the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS ) induced by iron (II) sulphate (60?M FeSO4) in the brain and liver homogenates of the albino rat used. The extract was found to have different antioxidant potentials in a manner that was concentration dependent, the result showed 36.9?g/ml of the extract to have the most potent inhibition at 54.16% and 8.46% for the brain and liver respectively. The result of the present study suggests the potential use of Brideliaferruginea in the treatment of various diseases. Iron chelation procedures also support the results obtained from thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), as this plant proved to be an effective iron chelator. Further studies would be important to determine whether using other solvent as a vehicle would produce different effects.