ABSTRACT

Plants are a valuable source of medicine and have helped in the maintenance of human health since time immemorial (Cowan 1999).Monodora myristica (seed)an important tree of the evergreen forest of West Africa belonging to the Anonaceae family were evaluated for its natural antioxidant potentials. Extract of Monodora myristica seed contained low amounts (0.17..tg/100g) and (0.21ig/100g) of phenols and flavonoids respectively while the vitamin C content was significantly high (6.84tg/ml). The extracts at various concentrarions (25p.g/ml, 50p.g/ml, 100 jig/mI, 200p.g/ml, 4OO.ig/ml, 8O0tg/ml) scavenged DPPH radicals in the range of 0.57%, 4.55%, 5.25%, 7.12% and 11.23% respectively but cannot compared to the % inhibition of ascorbic acid standard at an IC50of 1O00ig/ml but was able to scavenge nitric oxide and anti-lipid peroxidation radicals in a dose dependent manner. The % inhibition of the ethanol extract of Monodora myristica at 400p.g/ml and 800p.g/ml were significant when compared to the % inhibition of the standard (ascorbic acid at an IC50of 1000ig/ml) against lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide radicals thus Monodora myristica seed can serve as dietary source of natural anti-oxidant in combating free radical damages.