SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND COVID-19 MANAGEMENT USING ANTIOXIDANT CONSTITUENT(S) OF Maytenus senegalensis LEAVES’ ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION

Abstract

Sustainable development has been related with the condition in which the population’s needs are satisfied by rational and sustainable utilization of natural resources and systems. Control of COVID-19 and other related pandemics directly addresses Sustainable Development Goals number 1 and 3, which focus on the need to ensure that people live healthy lives, child mortality reduces and life expectancy is raised. COVID-19 is “a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by SARS-CoV 2, characterised especially by flu-like symptoms, fever, shortness of breath and cough. Accumulated free radicals contribute to prolonged recovery time and even death of people infected with COVID-19, due mainly to respiratory tissue degeneration. Intake of antioxidants has been shown to increase recovery rate. Maytenus senegalensis leaves were extracted using 70% methanol and then partitioned with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to column chromatography, yielding nine fractions E1 to E9, which were screened for antioxidant activity. E3 has the highest antioxidant activity of all the fractions by total reducing potential, nitric oxide scavenging activity and DPPH radical scavenging assays (93.6 ± 0.44, 98.3 ± 0.53 and 95.1 ± 0.36 respectively). TLC analysis of E3 revealed two spots, R_f values 0.71 and 0.82. Further purification would be required to isolate and characterize the antioxidant constituent(s). E3 could be beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19 and related diseases. This agrees with the rational and sustainable utilization of natural resources and systems to satisfy the needs of the population.