Comparison of Antioxidant and Anti-hemolytic Activity of Aqueous Leaf Extracts of Adansonia digitata (Baobab) and Moringa oleifera (Moringa)

Abstract Plants contain biologically active compounds with properties such as antioxidant activity, anti-hemolytic activity, antimicrobial effect etc. However, these properties vary from plant to plant. This study aims to compare the in vitro antioxidant and anti-hemolytic activity of aqueous leaf extracts of Adansonia digitata and Moringa oleifera, two commonly consumed vegetables in Northern Nigeria. The antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging and FRAP assays, while anti-hemolytic activity was evaluated in comparison to quercetin as standard. The percentage inhibition of DPPH radical scavenging activity of the extracts and the standard ascorbic showed that the aqueous leaf extract of M. oleifera exhibited higher antioxidant activity than A. digitata extract. The IC50 of M. oleifera (3.01 mg/ml) was lower than A. digitata (3.48 mg/ml) with respect to the standard ascorbic acid (2.32 mg/ml).The FRAP assay also showed that extract of M. oleifera exhibited better antioxidant capacity than the A. digitata extract. The IC50 of M. oleifera (2.96 mg/ml) was lower than A. digitata (3.36 mg/ml) in comparison to ascorbic acid (2.02 mg/ml).Also, percentage inhibitions of anti-hemolytic activity of aqueous leaf extracts of A. digitata and M. oleifera; and the standard quercetin showed that the aqueous leaf extract of M. oleifera exhibited higher anti-hemolytic activity than A. digitata extract. The IC50 of M. oleifera (3.35 mg/ml) was lower than A. digitata (4.16 mg/ml) in comparison to quercetin (1.92 mg/ml). These findings suggest that Moringa oleifera may serve as a more suitable and potent agent against free radical mediated and hemolytic diseases. Keywords: Adansonia digitata, Anti-hemolytic, Antioxidant, Moringa oleifera