Evaluation Of Chemical Constituents And In Vitro Antiinflammatory Property Of The Essential Oils Of Hibiscus Sabdariffa Seeds:- Chukwu, Chioma G

ABSTRACT xii I Anti-inflammatory properties play major roles in counteracting the deleterious effects of chronic inflammation in biological systems; and the anti-inflammatory potentials of plants and plant parts are related to the phytoconstituents inherent in them. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating some chemical components and anti-inflammatory property of the essential oil of Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds (EOHSS) using anti-proteinase action spectrophotometric assay. The essential oil of Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds (HSS) were subjected to phytochemical analysis using gas chromatography coupled to flame ion detector (FID) and mass spectrometer (MS). The total phenols, total flavonoids and the antiinflammatory property were determined using standard methods. The anti-inflammatory property was examined using the anti proteinase action assay at the concentrations of 10 - 80 mg/ml and Aspirin as reference standard. The experiments were conducted in triplicate. Data was subjected analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS, while values were presented as mean ± standard deviation. Significance was set at p<0.05. According to the results, EOHSS contain bioactive compounds including D-limonene (23.45 ug/ml), ferullic acid (26.27 ■ ug/ml), vanillic acid (15.00 ug/ml), tyrosol (14.66 ppm), naringenin (19.24 ug/ml), epicathechin (9.25 ug/ml), ellagic acid (7.28 ug/ml) and beta pinene (8.04 ug/ml). Appreciable levels of phenols and flavonoids were also detected. The anti proteinase action assay result showed that the highest inflammatory activity of the EOHSS was detected at 80 mg/ml (24.23%) compared to the standard (69.77%). A dose-dependent increase in percentage inhibition was observed as the concentration increased from 20-80 mg/ml of EOHSS. The relatively high phenol and flavonoid contents of EOHSS in this study strongly contribute to its anti-inflammatory activity. Hence, it could be exploited for therapeutic purposes against inflammatory related diseases.