Phytochemical Screening and Assessment of Antioxidant and Hypertensive Activities of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. and Secamone elliptica R.Br.

The study investigated the phytochemical profile and the antioxidant and antihypertensive potential of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. and Secamone elliptica R.Br. Leaves were collected, air-dried, milled, and successively macerated in n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. Qualitative phytochemical screening employed standard assays, and antioxidant capacity was evaluated with the DPPH radical scavenging test across 20 to 100 μg/ml. Both species contained carbohydrates, tannins, flavonoids, coumarins, steroids, and alkaloids, while S. elliptica additionally showed phenols, saponins, quinones, terpenoids (moderate), cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, and phlobatannins. DPPH activity increased in a dose-dependent manner for all samples. At 100 μg/ml, percent inhibition reached 58.28 for S. elliptica and 51.95 for P. amarus, compared with 89.32 for ascorbic acid. Estimated IC50 values ranked ascorbic acid at about 59.2 μg/ml, S. elliptica at about 83.0 μg/ml, and P. amarus at about 94.4 μg/ml, indicating higher antioxidant potency for S. elliptica under the assay conditions. Given the role of oxidative stress in endothelial dysfunction and elevated vascular tone, these results support a plausible antihypertensive relevance, particularly for S. elliptica. The study concluded that both plants exhibit promising antioxidant properties, with S. elliptica emerging as the priority candidate for further work. It recommended quantitative phenolic and flavonoid assays, complementary antioxidant tests (ABTS, FRAP, ORAC), and direct antihypertensive bioassays such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition to clarify mechanisms and translate chemical activity to physiological effect.