Kola Nut

Cola nitida, commonly known as kola nut, is widely recognized for its stimulant and medicinal properties. This study investigates the antioxidant potential of its ethanol extract, highlighting its significance as a natural source of bioactive compounds. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the onset of chronic diseases, thereby increasing the need for effective and safe antioxidants. Ethanol extraction, widely regarded for its ability to isolate phytochemicals, was utilized to obtain the active constituents of Cola nitida.
Through various invitro assays such as determination of DPPH radical scavenging ability, determination of the ferric-reducing antioxidant property (FRAP), determination of Fe chelating ability, determination of hydroxyl radical (OH•2+) scavenging ability and
determination of nitric oxide (NO•) scavenging ability with quercetin as the control. Theresult disclosed DPPH radical scavenging capacity of the extract (EC₅₀ = 0.539 ± 0.010mg/mL) was lower than that of Quercetin (EC₅₀ = 0.453 ± 0.010 mg/mL). Similarly, the Fe²⁺chelating ability (EC₅₀ = 0.162 ± 0.010 mg/mL) and nitric oxide scavenging activity (EC₅₀ =0.107 ± 0.05 mg/mL) were slightly lower than those of Quercetin (EC₅₀ = 0.147 ± 0.009mg/mL and EC₅₀ = 0.103 ± 0.05 mg/mL, respectively). The FRAP assay indicated nonsignificant difference between the extract and the control. However, the extract demonstrated significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (EC₅₀ = 0.062 ± 0.008 mg/mL), which was more potent than quercetin (EC₅₀ = 0.086 ± 0.009 mg/mL) The ethanol extract exhibited strong free radical scavenging properties and lipid peroxidation inhibition, demonstrating its potential in combating oxidative stress. This research highlights Cola nitida as a promising natural antioxidant source with potential applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and functional foods.

This study is aimed at determining the Caffeine content in two varieties of kolanuts,cola acuminata (red kola)and cola nitida(white kola). The Samples were obtained from New Benin market,Edo state. The extraction of Caffeine was done using solvent extraction method and infra-red spectroscopy was used to detect the functional groups present in the Caffeine isolated. The percentage yield for the cola nitida was 0.04% while that of cola acuminata was 0.06%. the I.R band observed at 1646.24cm-1 (C=C) stretch of Alkene, 1700.93cm-1 (C=O) stretch of amide and 3437.36cm-1 (N-H) stretch of amine among others for the cola nitida (white kolanuts) and 1647.25cm-1 (C=C) stretch of
alkenes,1700.54(C=0) stretch of amide and 3442.11cm-1 (N-H) stretch of amine among others for the Cola Acuminata (red kolanuts). The values of these bands suggest the presence of amine groups which confirms the presence of alkaloids (Caffeine). From this research, the caffeine content for the Samples was determined and found that the red kolanuts (cola acuminata) contains more caffeine compared to the white kolanuts (cola nitida).