• Mohammed Audu
• Umar Dan azumi

Medicinal plants have been identified and used throughout human history, plants have ability to synthesize a wide variety of chemical compounds. Many of which are efficacious and contain compounds that are potential drugs which require further examinations. Plants are rich in a wide variety of secondary metabolites such as tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids and flavonoids etc., which have been found to possess to antimicrobial properties in vitro. Antioxidants are molecules that inhibit or quench free radical reactions and delay or inhibit cellular damage. Although, almost all organisms possess antioxidant defence and repair systems that have evolved to protect them against oxidative damage, these systems are insufficient to prevent the damage entirely. However, antioxidant supplements, or foods containing antioxidants, may be used to help human body reduced oxidative damage. Studies on the nutritional value and biological activity of the kernel of Terminalia catappa revealed that it has a good digestibility, exerts a strong antioxidant activity, possesses anti-HIV properties, anti-asthma properties, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, antibacterial and hepatoprotective properties. The fresh leaf of Terminalia catappa was air dried under laboratory condition, was ground into fine powder extracted with methanol using cold infusion method and partitioned using solvent of gradient polarities such as n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. Methanol crude extract, n-hexane portion, ethyl acetate portion, n-butanol portion and aqueous portion revealed the presence of carbohydrate, cardiac glycoside, flavonoid, terpenoids, saponins, tannins and alkaloid. However, soluble starch, phlabotannins and glycosides were not found in the extracts. The methanol crude extract showed the percentage inhibition of 98.25 at 10ug/ml, 97.40 at 20µg/ml, 96.94 at 30µg/ml, 96.63 at 40µg/ml and 97.10 at 50µg/ml; n-butanol portion showed the percentage inhibition of 95.75 at 10ug/ml, 96.40 at 20µg/ml, 96.15 at 30µg/ml, 96.40 at 40µg/ml and 96.15 at 50µg/ml; n-hexane portion showed the percentage inhibition of 95.50 at 10ug/ml, 95.65 at 20µg/ml, 95.80 at 30µg/ml, 95.75 at 40µg/ml and 95.75 at 50µg/ml; ethyl acetate portion showed the percentage inhibition of 78.35 at 10ug/ml, 87.65 at 20µg/ml, 95.00 at 30µg/ml, 94.75 at 40µg/ml and 94.70 at 50µg/ml and the aqueous portion showed the percentage inhibition of 94.40 at 10ug/ml, 95.10 at 20µg/ml, 96.00 at 30µg/ml, 95.50 at 40µg/ml and 96.05 at 50µg/ml.

Terminalia catappa, Phytochemicals, Proximate analysis, Elemental analysis, Secondary metabolites

"DETERMINATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND SCAVENGING EFFECTIVENESS OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF TERMINALIA CATAPPA IN GEIDAM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF YOBE STATE, NIGERIA.", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.8, Issue 1, page no.603-620, January-2021, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2101286.pdf

"DETERMINATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND SCAVENGING EFFECTIVENESS OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF TERMINALIA CATAPPA IN GEIDAM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF YOBE STATE, NIGERIA.", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.8, Issue 1, page no. pp603-620, January-2021, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2101286.pdf