Comparative antioxidant activity of Ocimum gratissimum and Jatropha tanjorensis 2024

Abstract Introduction The leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and Jatropha tanjorensis are widely used together as vegetables in food and in several preparations for medicinal purposes. For this reason, their combined antioxidant potentials were evaluated to ascertain if such preparations should be encouraged or otherwise in relation to their individual antioxidant effects. Materials and Methods the combined extract of O.gratissimum and J. tanjorensis (CEOJ) were serially diluted into different concentrations; concentrations of 1.9µg/ml, 3.91µg/ml, 7.81µg/ml, 15.63µg/ml, 31.25µg/ml, 62.5µg/ml, 125µg/ml and 250µg/ml were made and used for the assays. the single extracts were also diluted into similar concentrations. DPPH in methanol was used as blank for the DPPH-free radical scavenging assay. The absorbance of the concentrations and that of the controls were read at 517nm and 562nm for the DPPH assay using a spectrophotometer. Results The result of the DPPH-free radical scavenging assay showed a synergistic antioxidant effects in CEOJ with an inhibition percentage of 71.39% higher than J. tanjorensis alone (66.80%) O. gratissimum alone (53.56%) and ascorbic acid (56%). Conclusion This results therefore inferred that the CEOJ produced better antioxidant activity than when used as a separate extract.