Assessment of bioactive phytochemical and free radical scavenging analysis of leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach & Thonn) Mull. Arg.

Alchornea cordifolia, a plant belonging to the Ephorbiaceae family and primarily found in Africa regions, has a rich history of traditional usage for treating various ailments such as fungal, bacterial and inflammatory disorders. The leaves, roots and stem barks are commonly used either individually or in combination to address a wide range of conditions from wounds and diarrhea to coughs and asthmatic attacks. Antioxidants are essential for protecting the body against oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species, which are linked to numerous diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Natural antioxidants are increasingly being acknowledged as potential preventive medicine. The extract of Alchornea cordifolia were examined for their secondary metabolites, antioxidant properties and antibacterial effects on Escherichia coli (ATCC28923), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC28923), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC29212) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC6051). Chemical analysis of the plant leaves revealed the presence of saponins, steroids, tannins, alkaloids and general glycoside. The quantitative assessment of the secondary metabolites showed specific concentrations of various compounds in the leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia. The study demonstrated that the antioxidant activity demonstrated using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging assay increased with higher concentrations of the leaf extract. Although it was lower than that of ascorbic acid. The susceptibility of the test organisms to the plant extract was evidenced by the zones of inhibition they produced. The results indicated that the bacteria were vulnerable to the plant extract. Specifically, the ethanol leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia showed the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration against Escherichia coli (ATCC28923) and B. subtilis (ATCC6051) but the highest against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC28923). This study suggests that the compounds present in Alchornea cordifolia leaf extract have the potential for future use in chemotherapy applications.