EVALUATION OF THE ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL, ANTIDIABETIC, AND NEUROPROTECTIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF COLOCASIA ESCULENTA AND VERNONIA AMYGDALINA LEAVES

Oxidative stress is linked with several diseases, including diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. Treatment options should be developed that are focused on addressing the root causes of these conditions while also managing their symptoms. This study, therefore, aimed to appraise the in vitro antioxidant potential and enzyme inhibitory activities, as well as carry out an in-silico study on bioactive compounds from ethanolic crude extracts of Colocasia esculenta (CE) and Vernonia amygdalina (VA). In vitro, antioxidant assays were performed on both plant extracts using standard methods (DPPH and ABTS scavenging assays). The study utilized high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify phytoconstituents, identifying sixteen compounds in CE and twelve in VA. In vitro enzyme inhibitory assays were carried out, and three target proteins were chosen for molecular docking analysis. Phytochemical analysis indicated that CE extracts had higher total flavonoid content compared to total phenolic content, while VA extracts had higher total phenols than total flavonoids. Both extracts demonstrated strong antioxidant capacities with significant inhibition of ABTS and DPPH free radicals. Additionally, they exhibited significant inhibitory activity against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase, with VA showing greater efficacy in each case compared to CE. Therefore, the findings suggest that these compounds are mostly responsible for the enzyme-inhibitory activities exhibited by the plant extracts. Thus, the compounds can be proposed as potential therapeutic agents against both diseases.