In Vitro-Evaluation of the Antioxidant Properties of Moringa Oleifera and Camelia Sinensis Leaves.
The use of traditional medicine is widespread, and plants have more potential for natural antioxidants that may serve as leads for the development of novel drugs. Thus, medicinal plant
research is a search for cheaper and more readily available alternative treatment as conventional therapy is becoming expensive. However, information on possible adverse effects of these plants on human health are scarce. Therefore, the study of medicinal plants helps to understand the
possible adverse effects of these plant species and protect humans and animals from natural poisons.
Many metabolic reactions depend on oxygen a primary oxidant in metabolic reactions designed to obtain energy from the oxidation of a variety of organic molecules which is also used as substrate by numerous enzymes each with differing substrate affinities for oxygen and involved in a wide range of metabolic processes such as metabolism of amines, prostaglandins, purines, steroids, and amino acids.
The mitochondrion is the major cell organelle responsible for ROS production.11 In order to protect the cell and organ systems of the body against reactive oxygen species, humans and other organisms have evolved a highly sophisticated and complex antioxidant protection system which involves a variety of components that are both endogenous and exogenous in origin that function interactively and synergistically to neutralize free radicals.
The common antioxidant enzymes are superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase which catalyze free radical scavenging reactions. The nutrient derived antioxidants are ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E, carotenoids, and other low molecular weight compounds such as glutathione and lipoic acid as well as numerous other antioxidant phytochemicals present in a wide variety of plant foods.
Adv Food Technol Nutr Sci Open J.2019; 5(1): 13-18. doi: 10.17140/AFTNSOJ-5-152
