Phytochemical Properties and Ethnobotanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) for the Management/Cure of some Common Ailments 1 Akintan, C.I., 1Akintan A.O., 2Idowu, O.D. and 2Ogboru, R.O. Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Rainforest Forest Research Station, Ore, Nigeria 2 Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Moist Forest Research Station, Benin City, Nigeria Email: cornial2000@gmail.com 1 1 Akintan, C.I., 1Akintan A.O., 2Idowu, O.D. and 2Ogboru, R.O. (2015) Phytochemical properties and ethno-botanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) for the Management/Cure of some common ailments. Nigerian Journal of Forestry 45 (1) 9- 15 Abstract The ethno-botanical potentials of Thonningia sanguinea were investigated through its phytochemical screening. The specific objectives wereto provide adequate information that will serve as a basis for scientific research and to sensitize the populace on the usefulness of this plant especially in the management and cure of asthma. The phytochemical screening of both airdried and sundried samples revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponin, phenol, glycosides, tannin, terpenes and phlobotannin, while anthraquinones, cardenolides, flavonoid and chalcones were completely absent. Also, sundried samples showed higher quantitative values than air dried samples in the quantitative determination of the phytochemicals. This study revealed the potentials of this plant in the formulation of alternative therapy for the treatment of asthma wound and blood treatment. It could serve as antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, analgestic, antispasmodic, bactericidal, cytotoxicity and salmonellosis. It therefore provides detailed empirical information regarding the phytochemistry of T. sanguinea for local medicine practitioners as well as for local people using this herb for a variety of body disorders. Keywords:Thonningia sanguinea; Ethnobotany; Phytochemical Screening Introduction The use of medicinal plants as alternative therapeutic agent worldwide cannot be overemphasized. Herbaceous plants have a wide range of biological, health care and diseases protection activities such as pharmacological, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities (Okwuet al., 2003).Medicinal plants are of great importance to the health of individuals and communities(Edeogaet al, 2005). The medicinal value of plants lies in some chemical substances that produce a definite physiological action on the human body. The most important of these bioactive constituents of plants are alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds (Duraiet al, 2016).Keeping in view the importance of phytochemicals, vitamins and other important constituents of medicinal plants and their wide use by local communities and practitioners for a variety of ailments, it is very vital to examine their active constituents and to provide scientific base-line information which a significant role in knowing the quantities of these phytochemicals. Nigerian Journal of Forestry Vol. 45 Nos 1 & 2 (www.njf-ng.org) Asthma is a disease affecting the airways to and from human lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic. The inside walls of an asthmatic's airways are swollen or inflamed. This swelling or inflammation makes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases susceptibility to allergic reaction. -Modern medicine has labeled it as an incurable illness. However, good treatment and management will ensure that an individual suffering from this condition lives a normal and active life. The prevalence of asthma has increased significantly since the 1970s. As of 2011, 235–300 million people were affected globally(WHO, 2011) including about 250,000 deaths(Global Initiative for Asthma, 2011).Medications used to treat asthma are divided into two general classes: quick-relief medications used to treat acute symptoms; and long-term control medications used to prevent further exacerbation. Thonningia sanguinea is an obligate parasite of trees and perennial woody plants such as Musanga cecropioides; Hevea brasiliences, (rubber), Phoenix 9 Phytochemical Properties and Ethno-botanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) ----- Akintan, Akintan, Idowu, Ogboru dactylifera (date), and Theobroma cacao (cocoa) (Jigamet al., 2012). This plant is used in some parts of Africa for herbal medicine. Its various names in some West African countries and uses in traditional medicine are presented in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. Table 1: Traditional name of Thonningia sanguinea in some parts of Africa s/no Ghana 1 2 3 4 Traditional name Reference Adangme-Krobo: (i) ablεfotã (Bunting, ex FRI)(ii) kpadei (Bunting) Akan-Asante:kwabεdwea = infertile forest oil-palm (FRI) Nzema:adzilεananse = ground pineapple (FRI; JMD) Twi: (i)ananse-abedwaa (Bunting) (ii)kwabεdwea (iii)bε: oil-palm (iv) dwea: = infertile forest oil-palm (FRI) Cote d’voire 1 Abure:bétianbitibe (B&D) 2 Akan-brong:sassiabéréké (K&B) 3 Anyi:buroabéle = pineapple of the bush (K&B) 4` Guere: (Chiehn)niéssagiué (B&D) 5 Kru-guere:gruhain (K&B) grukoma (K&B) 6 Kulango:nabianihorongo (K&B) 7 Kyama:duatuigui (B&D) Nigeria 1 Edo:èdín-égūi (JMD; Lowe) èdín-òtò ̣ (JRA; JMD) 2 Hausa:kubla (JMD) kúllaá (JMD; ZOG) 3 Igala: obi atu = duiker’s kolanut (Boston) 4 Igbo: (Owerri)akankwanza (JMD) 5 Yoruba:adélẹ̀, adé-ilẹ̀ = crown of the ground (JMD; Verger) óóyá-ilẹ̀ = comb of the ground (JMD; Millen), eyin-ile(Ikale_yoruba) Sierraleone Loko:ngororugu (NWT) Togo Tem: (Tshaudjo)tshitshing (Gaisser) Source: Authors survey, 2013 Burkill, 1985 Burkill, 1985 Burkill, 1985 Burkill, 1985 Burkill, 1985 Table 2: Plant parts and local uses of Thonningiasanguinea s/no Plant part Local use Reference 1 Flower Medicines: leprosy; paralysis, epilepsy, convulsions, spasm Burkill, 1985 2 Flower-head Medicines: anus, haemorrhoids; diarrhoea, dysentery; dropsy, swellings, oedema, gout; genital stimulants/depressants 3 Rhizome Food: sauces, condiments, spices, flavourings 4 Rhizome head 5 Sap 6 Whole plant pounded flower- Medicines: vermifuges Medicines: skeletal structure is astringent; it is thought to be an aphrodisiac in Nigeria Nigerian Journal of Forestry Vol. 45 Nos 1 & 2 (www.njf-ng.org) 10 Phytochemical Properties and Ethno-botanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) ----- Akintan, Akintan, Idowu, Ogboru 7 Rhizome and flowers, without the red bracts ointment for application to skin-diseases in Ghana the 8 Whole plant is prepared as a plaster maturate abscesses, crushed and diluted in water as a mouth-wash for dental caries, gingivitis and mouth-infections, and sap is given to a suckling infant with fever as an embrocation applied to the infant’s body 9 Whole plant used in medicine in Nigeria for dysentery 10 The extracts flowers of used in traditional medicine in Ivory Coast to treat diarrhea diseases including salmonellosis Materials and Methods Plant materials The plant samples were collected from forest floor of Musangacecropioidesplant at Sakponba Forest Reserve, Orhiowon L.G.A., Edo State, Nigeria. Preparation of plant materials The collected plant was uprooted with the aid of a matchet washed using tap water and then rinsed in distilled water. Some of the plants were spread for drying at room temperature for eight weeks until they were completely dried, while the remaining were sundried for two weeks. Thereafter, both samples were pulverised into fine powder using home blender and sieved with 3.0mm sieve size. Phytochemical screening Chemical tests were carried out on the powdered specimensusing standard procedure to identify the constituents as described by Sofowora (1993), Trease and Evans (1989) and Harbone (1973). Alkaloids: 1ml of each powder was stirred with 5ml of 1% aqueous HCL on a steam bath and filtered while hot. Distilled water was added to the residue and 1ml of the filtrate was treated with a few drops of either Mayer’s reagent (Potassium mercuric iodidesolution). The formation of a cream colour gives a positive test for alkaloids. Saponin: About 5ml of eachpowder was boiled in 20ml of distilled water in a water bath and filtered. 10ml of the filtrate was mixed with 5ml of distilled water and shaken vigorously for a stable persistent Nigerian Journal of Forestry Vol. 45 Nos 1 & 2 (www.njf-ng.org) N’guessan et al, 2007 froth. The frothing was mixed with 3 drops of olive oil and shaken vigorously, then observed for the formation of emulsion which confirms a positive presence of Saponin. Phenol: 5ml of each powder was pipetted into a 30ml test tube, then 10ml of distilled water was added. 2ml of ammonium hydroxide solution and 5 ml of concentrated amyl alcohol were also added and left to react for 30min. Development of bluish green colour was taken as a positive presence of phenol. Taninns: 1ml of each powder was boiled in 20ml of water in a test tube and then filtered. A few drops of 0.1% ferric chloride was added and blue–black coloration was observed which confirmed the presence of tannin. Glycosides (Keller – Killani test): Five ml of each powder was treated with 2ml of glacial acetic acid containing one drop of ferric chloride solution. This was underplayed with 1ml of concentrated sulphuric acid. A violet-green ring appearing below the brown ring, in the acetic acid layer, indicates the positive presence of glycoside. Phlobatannins: Deposition of a red precipitate when 2ml of each powder of each plant samples was boiled with 1% aqueous hydrochloric acid was taken as evidence for the presence of phlobatannins. Steroids: 2ml of acetic anhydride was added to 2ml powder of each sample followed by careful addition of 2ml H2SO4. The colour changed from violet to blue or green indicated the presence of steroids. Terpenoids (Salkowski test): Five ml of each powder was mixed with 2ml of chloroform, and 3ml 11 Phytochemical Properties and Ethno-botanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) ----- Akintan, Akintan, Idowu, Ogboru concentrated H2SO4 was carefully added to form a layer. A reddish brown coloration of the interface was formed to show positive results for the presence of terpenoids. Quantitative determinations The quantitative determination of chemicals present in this species in appreciable quantity was carried out using appropriate standards. Alkaloid determination using Harborne (1973) method: 5 g of the sample was weighed into a 250 ml beaker and 200 ml of 10% acetic acid in ethanol was added and covered and allowed to stand for 4 hours. This was filtered and the extract was concentrated on a waterbath to one-quarter of the original volume. Concentrated ammonium hydroxide was added dropwise to the extract until the precipitation was complete. The whole solution was allowed to settle and the precipitate was collected and washed with dilute ammonium hydroxide and then filtered. The residue alkaloid was dried and weighed. %������� = Saponin determination using spectrophotometric method of Brunner (1984): 1g of finely ground sample was weighed into a 250ml beaker and 100ml of isobutyl alcohol was added. The mixture was shaken on a UDY shaker for 5 hours to ensure uniform mixing. Thereafter the mixture was filtered through a Whatman No1 filter paper into a 100ml beaker and 20ml of 40% saturated solution of magnesium carbonate was added. The mixture obtained with saturated MgCO3 was again filtered through a Whatman No1 filter paper to obtain a clear colourless solution. 1ml of the colourless solution was pipetted into 50ml volumetric flask and 2ml of 5% FeCL3 solution was added and made up to mark with distilled water. It was allowed to stand for 30min for blood red colour to develop. 0-10ppm standard Saponin solutions were prepared from saponin stock solution. The standard solutions were treated similarly with 2ml of 5% FeCL3 solution as done for 1ml sample above. The absorbance of the sample as well as standard saponin solutions were read after colour development in a Jenway V6300 Spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 380nm. ���������� �� ������ � �������� ������ � �������� ������ ��. �� ������ � 10,000 Determination of total phenols by spectrophotometric method: The fat free sample was boiled with 50 ml of ether for the extraction of the phenolic component for 15 min. 5 ml of the extract was pipetted into a 50 ml flask, then 10 ml of distilled water was added. 2 ml of ammonium hydroxide solution and 5 ml of concentrated amylalcohol were also added. The samples were made up to mark and left to react for 30 min for colour development. This was measured at 505 nm. Results and discussion The results of phytoscreening and phytoquantitative of airdriedand sundried samples of Thonningiasanguineaare shown in tables.Alkaloids, Saponin and Phenol were observed in higher quantities: Alkaloids(0.386/0.413)%, Saponins(0.528/0.567)%, Phenol(0.086/0.097)%;Tannin and Glycosides were observed in moderate quantities; Phlobatannin,Steroids and Terpenes were observed in Nigerian Journal of Forestry Vol. 45 Nos 1 & 2 (www.njf-ng.org) minute/trace amount; while Anthraquinones,Cardenolides, Flavonoids and Chalcones were completely absent. From the phytochemical results, the following are the various uses of the plant: • Wound healing and bleeding treatment. Saponins have properties of precipitating and coagulating red blood cells and they also have cholesterol binding properties, formation of foams in aqueous solutions and haemolytic activity (Sodipoet al., 2000). • Antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial properties as a result of Phenolic compounds especially tannins (El-Sayedet al., 2012). • Use in the treatment of cough, asthma and hay fever as a result of tannins and alkaloids (Burkill, 1985; Gill, 1992;Edeogaet al.,2005). • Use as analgesic, antispasmodic and bactericidal activities as a result of alkaloids and their derivatives (Antherden, 1969;Okwu and Okwu, 2004). It can also be used for cytotoxicity (Noboriet al., 1994). 12 Phytochemical Properties and Ethno-botanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) ----- Akintan, Akintan, Idowu, Ogboru • Alternative solution for the treatment of salmonellosis particularly in Ivory Coast where this pathology is always a public health problem (N’guessanet al., 2007 and Ouattara, 2005). Table 3: Result of phyto screening of Thonningia sanguinea Sample Air dried Sundried Value Value Alkaloids +++ +++ Present in an appreciable amount Saponin +++ +++ Present in an appreciable amount Phenol +++ +++ Present in an appreciable amount Glycosides ++ ++ Present in moderate amount Tannin ++ ++ Present in a moderate amount Phlobatannin + + Present in a minute or trace amount Steroids + + Present in a minute amount Terpenes + + Present in a minute amount Flavonoid - - Completely absent Anthraquinones - - Completely absent Cardenolides - - Completely absent Chalcones - - Completely absent Parameters Remark Table 4: Result of Phyto-quantitative of Thonningia sanguinea Sample Parameters Alkaloids Saponin Phenol Air Dried Value 0.386 0.528 0.086 Nigerian Journal of Forestry Vol. 45 Nos 1 & 2 (www.njf-ng.org) Sundried Value 0.413 0.567 0.097 13 Phytochemical Properties and Ethno-botanical Potentials of Thonningia sanguinea (Vahl) ----- Akintan, Akintan, Idowu, Ogboru Conclusion The results revealed the presence of medicinally important constituents in the plant Thonningiasanguineaand several studies carried out by numerous authors are supportive of this view. Therefore, the plant Thonningiasanguinea, could be seen as a good source of bioactive chemical compounds which can be of great value. It is suggested that further work should be carried out to isolate, purify, and characterize the active constituents responsible for the activity of the plant. Recommendation The herb’s development should be promoted and its sustainable utilization as an alternative to chemicalbased option encouraged. References Antherden, L.M. (1969): Textbook of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 8th Edition. Oxford University Press, London, pp. 813-814. Baker, J.G. (1913)with additions by C. H. Wright. Flora of Tropical Africa, 6:1:435 Brunner, J.H. (1984): Direct Spectrophotometer determination of Saponin. Anal. Chem. 34, 1314 – 1326 Burkill, H. M. (1985):Thonningiasanguinea.The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, Vol 1.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Durai, M.V., Balamuniappan, B.,Anandalakshmi, R., Geetha, S. and Kumar, N.S. 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Bailliere Tindall Ltd, London: 53 WHO (World Health Organization)(2010): “World Health Organization Fact Sheet No 307: Asthma”. 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 15