TITLE:
Phytochemical Analysis of Leaf, Stem Bark, and Root Extracts of Cassia abbreviata Grown in Zambia
AUTHORS:
Reagan Kabuka, Steward Mudenda, Martin Kampamba, Martha Chulu, Tadious Chimombe, Christabel Nang’andu Hikaambo
KEYWORDS:
Cassia abbreviata, Flavonoids, Phytochemicals, Stem Bark, Sterols, Tannins
JOURNAL NAME:
Pharmacology & Pharmacy,
Vol.13 No.5,
May
25,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: Plants have for a long time been used as medicines to treat ailments. Cassia abbreviata (C. abbreviata) is one of the plants that
has been widely used in the
management of a range of ailments, including malaria, diarrhea, and abscesses. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical composition of
crude extracts of the roots, leaves, and stem bark of C. abbreviata. Materials
and Methods: This was a laboratory-based study in which the fresh leaves,
stem bark, and roots of C. abbreviata were collected, thoroughly cleaned,
chopped into small pieces, and kept at room temperature until fully dry. The
dried plant parts were powdered separately and stored separately in airtight
containers for the phytochemical investigation. Ethanol (96% v/v) or distilled
water was used for the extraction of components of the coarse powder. The
mixtures were separately filtered, and the filtrates were reduced to a
concentrated semisolid mass by drying in a
water bath at 40?C. Thereafter, phytochemical analysis for flavonoids,
phenolics, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, glycosides, carbohydrates,
and proteins was done. Results: The phytochemical analysis of
the ethanolic extracts revealed the presence of high concentrations of tannins,
reducing sugars, and sterols in the stem bark and roots. Flavonoids, phenolics, and proteins were present in high concentrations in the stem bark, while
anthraquinone, glycosides, and alkaloids were present in the leaves and roots,
respectively. Conclusion: C. abbreviata plant contains a wide range of
phytochemical constituents. Depending
on the solvent used for extraction, various compositions of phytochemicals are
obtained in each part of the tree. However, extraction with ethanol showed a better concentration than with water for most of the phytochemicals.