Vol. 4, Issue 6 (2015)

Author(s):
Emmanuel Etim, Aniefiok Udobre, Anwanabasi Udoh, Emem Eduoku

Abstract:
Vernonia cinerea (Asteraceae) is an annual, erect herb commonly found in roadside, open waste places, dry grassy sites and in perennial crops during plantation. It is located especially in different Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh and Nepal as well as in Nigeria. In Nigeria, the aqueous extract of the plant is drunk by the local people because it is to purify the blood. It is also used traditionally in the treatment of stomach aches, cough and eye problems. The ethanol extract of Vernonia cinerea (Asteraceae) was evaluated for its antioxidant property, using the DPPH assay method, and phytochemical constituents. An acute toxicity study, using animal model (mice). The result of the acute toxicity test of the extract on mice gave an LD50 of 244.95mg/kg. phytochemical analysis revealed that the extract contained alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, terpenes, glycoside, carbohydrates, steroids, phenols and esters. The concentration of the extract at which 50% of the DPPH radical was inhibited (IC50) was seen to be 17.30µg/ml compared to the standard antioxidant (vitamin C-14.30 µg/ml). The study shows that Vernonia cinerea possess antioxidant property.