Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Kenyan Leafy Green Vegetables, Wild Fruits, and Medicinal Plants with Potential Relevance for Kwashiorkor

Autor: Cory S. Harris, H. R. Tufts, Timothy Johns, Zipporah Bukania
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol 2015 (2015)
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM
ISSN: 1741-4288
1741-427X
DOI: 10.1155/2015/807158
Popis: Background.Inflammation, together with related oxidative stress, is linked with the etiology of kwashiorkor, a form of severe acute malnutrition in children. A diet rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytochemicals may offer potential for the prevention and treatment of kwashiorkor. We selected and assayed five leafy green vegetables, two wild fruits, and six medicinal plants from Kenya for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Consensus regarding medicinal plant use was established from ethnobotanical data.Methods. Antioxidant activity and phenolic content were determined using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay and Folin-Ciocalteu procedure, respectively. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessedin vitrotargeting the inflammatory mediator tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).Results. Mangifera indica(leaves used medicinally) showed the greatest antioxidant activity (5940 ± 632 µM TE/µg) and total phenolic content (337 ± 3 mg GAE/g) butAmaranthus dubius(leafy vegetable) showed the greatest inhibition of TNF-α(IC50= 9 ± 1 μg/mL), followed byOcimum americanum(medicinal plant) (IC50= 16 ± 1 μg/mL). Informant consensus was significantly correlated with anti-inflammatory effects among active medicinal plants (r2=0.7639, P=0.0228).Conclusions. Several plant species commonly consumed by Kenyan children possess activity profiles relevant to the prevention and treatment of kwashiorkor and warrant further investigation.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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