Non-oxidative effects of the flavonoid-rich fraction of Lasianthera africana leaves on human haemoglobin

Abstract

Several plant phytochemicals have been reported to possess therapeutic properties. However, most of them are capable of causing oxidation of the human haemoglobin into the ferric state making them hazardous to cells and tissues. This study was aimed at investigating the non-oxidative effect of the flavonoid-rich fraction of Lasianthera africana leaves (LAFRF) on human haemoglobin. Isolation and purification of LAFRF was carried out by solvent extraction, partitioning and ion-exchange chromatography. Six test groups were setup as follows: A reaction tube containing 800 µl of oxyhaemoglobin (OxyHb) served as the normal control, while the test groups were made up of different concentrations of LAFRF (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/ml) incubated with 100 µl of OxyHb. The non-oxidative effects of the LAFRF on the human haemoglobin was assessed by UV-visible spectroscopy. The results indicated that LAFRF possess non-oxidative effects on human haemoglobin, as it did not cause any disappearance of the absorbance maxima at 576 nm and 541 nm at all concentrations investigated. Furthermore, a concentration-dependent increase in the absorbance of the treated OxyHb was recorded when compared to the untreated OxyHb, thus signifying its potential as a safe pharmacological agent for in vivo investigations.