Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-neurodegenerative activities of Jatropha integerrima Jacq. floral methanolic extract

The medium sized drought-tolerant perennial flowering shrub, Jatropha integerrima Jacq. which belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, have traditionally been used to treat various conditions like herpes, pruritis, toothaches, rheumatism, scabies, tumors and eczema. The study presented here was to find out the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neurodegenerative potentials of the methanolic extract of the flowers of the plant. The phytocompounds present in the methanolic extract of J. integerrima flowers were investigated using standard biochemical procedures. The antioxidant capability was examined using DPPH scavenging assay, FRAP and H2O2 scavenging assay and the anti-inflammatory potential was found out by albumin denaturation and heat-induced hemolysis methods. To find out the anti-neurodegenerative activity, the flower extract was subjected to the acetylcholine esterase inhibition and tyrosinase assays. J. integerrima flower methanolic extract displayed the presence of saponins, flavonoids, phenols, quinone and proteins. The extract also showed promising concentration-dependent antioxidant activities and potentials against albumin denaturation and heat induced hemolysis as evidence of its anti-inflammatory properties. The flower extract was also able to effectively inhibit the acetylcholine esterase and tyrosinase in the in vitro assays showing its anti-neurodegenerative capabilities. So, the authors recommend for further investigations to make use of the promising antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-neurodegenerative potentials of the J. integerrima flowers to develop it for medicinal applications.