Terpenoid Profiling, Biological Activity, Biodegradability and Toxicological Evaluation of Euphorbia kamerunica Pax and Euphorbia poisonii Pax Extracts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1017-5913Keywords:
acetylcholinesterase, biodegradability, Euphorbia kamerunica, Euphorbia poisonii, terpenoids, GC-MSAbstract
Conventional synthetic antiriot agents are effective, toxic and environmentally persistent, giving rise to the need to search for renewable and potentially biodegradable alternatives whose biological activity and toxicological profiles require systematic evaluation that can be derived from natural sources. Plant-based phytochemicals, such as alkaloids, phenolics and terpenoids from our flora have been reported as useful alternatives to synthetic incapacitating agents. In this study, the terpenoidal contents of the aerial parts of Euphorbia kamerunica Pax and stems of Euphorbia poisonii Pax were investigated for their composition, antiriot potential, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity, biodegradability and toxicological profiles. . Statistically significant differences were determined using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey-Kramer post-hoc comparison at p < 0.05. Profiling and quantification of crude chloroform extracts of Euphorbia kamerunica (Ek) and Euphorbia poisonii (Ep) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed a significant mixture of sesquiterpenoids (55.25%) and triterpenoids (43.58%) in Ek and significant presence of sesquiterpenoids (96 %) in Ep. Evaluation of the antiriot potential of each extract at varying concentrations (2-10%) using the spray-induced discomfort and incapacitation model revealed that activity for both extracts was dose-dependent and compared favourably well with that of commercial pepper spray (3%) at 10%. Forty-five male mice were used for the study and randomly assigned into nine groups of five animals each.
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