Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant, and Antidiabetic Potential of Euphorbia hirta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65406/2.2/39-44/2025Keywords:
Euphorbia hirta (EH), phytochemical analysis, Antidiabetic activity, Antioxidant activityAbstract
Introduction: For many years, African countries have employed the genus "Euphorbia" to cure a variety of diseases. In South Africa and tropical America, Euphorbia hirta was specifically used to cure inflammatory illnesses and sold as a crude medication to treat diabetes, bronchitis, asthma, wound healing, and pregnancy problems. As a result, the current study sought to explore the existence of phytochemicals, total phenolic content, antioxidant and antidiabetic activity in methanol extract and its different fractions of Euphorbia hirta leaves.Methodology and results: Standard chemical tests were used for phytochemical screening. Phenols, saponins, steroids and flavonoids were validated by phytochemical testing of n-hexane, methanol, aqueous and ethyl acetate fractions of Euphorbia hirta (EH) leaves. The methanol fraction's maximal phenolic content was 89.2±2.5. At a concentration of 100 μg/ml, Antioxidant activity was assessed by using DPPH assay, the methanol fractions exhibit the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity, inhibiting 84.7% of free radicals. In vitro antidiabetic activity was assessed by D-glucose-6-phosphate phosphorylase assay. The methanol fraction shows antidiabetic activity at 100 µM, by 59.1% inhibiting of the glucose-6-phosphatase enzymatic activity.
Conclusion: Our findings verified the traditional usage of Euphorbia hirta plants to cure a variety of ailments.
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