DefinePK

Abstract

The main method for treating nerve-signaling disorders like Alzheimer’s disease has been chemical suppression of acetylcholinesterase. Limited treatment options have driven the research into extracts from indigenous plants. In this study, the chemical constituents, anti-cholinesterase, and radical scavenging potentials of the essential oil and the polar constituents (decoction water) of a Nigerian variety of the medicinal plant, Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit, were investigated. Essential oil from the leaves of the medicinal plant was obtained through hydro-distillation, and the chemical composition was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Radical scavenging activity potential and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity were carried out using the colorimetric method. The GC-MS analysis revealed 24 chemical compounds, including β-Caryophyllene (15.31%), β-Phellandrene (9.73%), trans-α-Bergamotene (6.94%) and Fenchone (5.79%) as major components. The phytochemicals present in the polar constituent (the decoction water) of the leaves of H. suaveolens were alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, terpenoids, and saponins. Bioactivity assessment revealed significant antioxidant activities in essential oil extracts with values ranging from (DPPH = 38.80 ± 0.04 to 69.33 ± 0.12 %, ABTS = 2.84 ± 0.01 to 11.26 ± 0.26 mg TEAC /g, FRAP = 10.89 ± 0.01 to 15.79 ± 0.33 mg AAE /g and NOx = 26.06 ± 0.03 to 71.87 ± 0.21 %). Higher acetyl-cholinesterase inhibition activity was recorded for the essential oil compared to the polar constituents with values ranging from 10.42 ± 0.12 to 46.50 ± 0.19 %. Findings from this study highlight the antioxidant and anticholinesterase potential of extracts from Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit.