In-vitro Anti-lipid Peroxidation and Other Antioxidant Potentials of Gongronema latifolium Leaf Extract

Gongronema latifolium is a herbaceous plant consumed as a traditional folk medicine. The aim of this work is to evaluate the anti-lipid peroxidation activity and other antioxidant effects of the plant leaf extract of Gongronema latifolium using various in vitro models. Lipid peroxidation was first induced in egg yolk and bovine liver homogenate using the ascorbate-ferrous system and incubated with the plant extract at different concentrations. In another experiment, hydrogen peroxide was used to induce erythrocyte hemolysis and lipid peroxidation and those erythrocytes were incubated with the extract. Finally the potential ferrous reducing ability, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activities of the plant extract were also analyzed. It revealed that the leaf extract significantly reduced chemically-induced lipid peroxidation in both homogenates when compared to quercetin. The extract also reduced both hydrogen peroxide-induced hemolysis and lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes. The extract also possessed significant abilities to reduce ferric ions, scavenge both hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide. In most cases, the responses were concentration-dependent (p < 0.05). The findings are ascribed to the important phytochemicals which are antioxidant in nature hence the plant could be exploited both pharmacologically and neutraceutically.