Characterization of Local Okra Seed (Abelmoschus Esculentus) Extract and Evaluation of Bioactivity

A. esculentus (okra) plant is an economically important medicinal plant grown in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. The fruit and seeds of the A. esculentus (okra) plant; which are rich in oil and protein. The in vitro cytotoxic, bactericidal, and antioxidant activities of extracts obtained from different parts of okra (leaves, fruits, and seeds) were studied widely in the medical industry. This study evaluated the biocompatible and antioxidant potential of an optimized ethanolic extract of A. esculentus seeds. Commercially obtained A. esculentus seeds were first extracted and characterized by UV-Vis and FT-IR spectrophotometry. In vitro, antioxidant activity of okra seed extracts was evaluated using 1,1 -diphenyl -2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) with different concentrations (0.5-5 mg/mL). Results show that the antioxidant activity increased in direct proportion to the increase in the concentration of the extract. In vitro, the cytotoxic effect of the extracts on C6 Glioma cancer cell line and L929 mouse fibroblast cell line was studied using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl -2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay with the concentrations between 50-1000 µg/mL. MTT results showed effective cytotoxicity on cancer cell lines with increasing extract concentration (IC50 value for C6 was 273.4 µg/ml, while the IC50 value for L929 was 431.45 µg/ml). The study indicates that the extract isolated from A. esculentus seeds shows that all concentrations have a substantial amount of anticancer and antioxidant activity. In conclusion, A. esculentus seeds could be considered innovative products and be proposed for alternative end-uses in pharmaceutical industries with antimicrobial and bioactive properties.