Comparative In-vitro Analyses of the Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Properties of Selected Soup Thickeners Commonly Used in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

This study compared the in-vitro anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of three popular soup thickeners Mucuna sloanei (Ukpo), Brachystegia eurycoma (Achi), and Brachystegia nigerica (Ofor), commonly used in Southern Nigeria. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolics across all three thickeners, while tannins, saponins, and glycosides varied among them. Antioxidant activities, assessed through DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging assays, and FRAP values, showed M. sloanei exhibited the highest activity, followed by B. eurycoma and B. nigerica. Anti-inflammatory properties, measured via protein denaturation, heat-induced hemolysis, and COX enzyme inhibition assays, indicated M. sloanei as the most effective, with B. nigerica showing the least activity. Antimicrobial tests against common pathogens revealed that M. sloanei had the strongest inhibition, with the highest zones of inhibition and the lowest MIC values. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of these thickeners, particularly M. sloanei, and suggest their utility in developing natural therapeutic agents.