BIOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENT AND ENZYME INHIBITORY ACTIVITY OF <i>Thaumatococcus daniellii</i> METHANOLIC EXTRACT AGAINST FUNGI ISOLATES OF MAIZE

The pulverized dried leaves of Thaumatococcus daniellii was extracted with methanol. The extract was examined for its antioxidant potential using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) Radical Scavenging Activity. This was measured against that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) which serves as the standard. The results show that the radical scavenging property of BHT was concentration-dependent whereas, that of T. daniellii varied until the highest concentration. The result of the antimicrobial assay of the two fungal isolates of maize- Aspergillus niger and Penicillium notatum indicate that T. daniellii extract has inhibitory activity against the organisms. At minimum inhibitory concentration of 200 mg/ml, the plant extract showed a higher activity on the organisms than the standard, itraconazole. The molecular docking was done using the target enzyme, lanosterol-14α-demethylase. Daidzein, a constituent of the plant extract has a higher binding affinity (-11.5 kcal/mol) in comparison to the standard ligand, itraconazole (-11.2 kcal/mol). The outcome of this study show that Daidzein, a phytoconstituent in the T. daniellii methanolic extract have the ability to inhibit key enzyme involved in microbial growth. This indicates that the plant has a great potential for use in post-harvest management of maize molds.