Phytochemistry and Antioxidant Studies of the Hexane Fraction of the Stem Bark of Allophylus Africanus

Allophylus africanus also known as African false currant has a rich history of traditional medicinal use across Africa. The various parts of A. Allophylus have been investigated for its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing properties. This work was done to determine the phytochemicals present and the antioxidant property of the hexane fraction of the stem bark of the plant Allophylus africanus. Various methods were carried out which includes; Methanol extraction of the stem bark of A. Africanus using cold maceration method, fractionation, determination of different phytochemicals present, using thin layer chromatography to determine the best solvent system (7:3, 8:2, and 9:1) to be used using hexane and ethyl acetate as the solvent and evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the hexane fraction of DDPH assay. The phytochemical tests carried out showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids and carbohydrate, and the absence of saponins, tannins, flavonoids, phenol, anthraquinone, steroid, and protein for the stem bark methanol extract. It also showed the presence of carbohydrate, glycoside, saponin, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids and the absence of protein, phenols, tannins and steroids for the stem bark of A. Allophylus. The solvent system which gave the best separation was 8:2 as it separated the compounds better. Antioxidant assay using 2,2, Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was carried out and demonstrated free radical scavenging activity. Ascorbic acid was used as a positive control to compare the result of the hexane fraction extract and the crude methanol extract. These findings suggest the hexane fraction of Allophylus africanus stem bark could be promising source of natural antioxidants with potential applications in food supplements, pharmaceuticals. Further research should be carried out to identify specific active compounds and explore their in vivo potential.