Phytochemical Analysis, Total Phenolic Content, Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of Sansevieria cylindrica Leaves Extract

Abstract

Background: Genus “Sansevieria” has been traditionally used for the treatment of various ailments in African countries since a long time. In particular, Sansevieria trifasciata is used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions and sold as a crude drug in the market to treat victims of snakebite in South Africa and tropical America. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the presence of phytochemicals, total phenolic content, antioxidant as well as antidiabetic activity of ethanol extract and fractions of Sansevieria cylindrica leaves. Methods and findings: Phytochemical analysis of hexane, chloroform, methanol and aqueous fractions Sansevieria cylindrica leaves confirmed the presence of steroids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and phenolic acids. Methanol fraction was found to show maximum phenolic content. Ethanol extract and its methanol fraction showed significant antioxidant and antidiabetic activity. They inhibited 80.5% and 83.6% respectively DPPH free radical at 100 μg/ml concentration. In addition, methanol fraction exhibited 57.9% inhibition of glucose-6- phosphatase enzyme at 100 μM concentration. Conclusion: Our study confirmed the traditional uses of Sansevieria cylindrica plants for the treatment of various diseases.