Study on the botanical characteristics and antioxidant activities of the bitter eggplant (Solanum incanum) in Dak Lak province

Abstract

Solanum incanum is grown wild in many places in Dak Lak and is used by the Ede people as food and medicine, but mainly based on experience. In order to clarify the botanical characteristics and improve the value of this plant, a study was conducted on the morphological, anatomical, and antioxidant activities of Solanum incanum, harvested in Buon Don district, Dak Lak province. The morphological characteristics: thorny plant, star-shaped hairs, purple flowers, sample 5, individual fruit 2-4 cm in size. The anatomical analysis revealed that the root anatomy was at level 2, with wood 2 occupying the center. The stem anatomy was also at level 2, and the dermis was a hard tissue. The leaf anatomy showed that the xylem and phloem formed a ring with xylem inside and phloem outside in the midvein, and the leaf blade had a heterostructure. Antioxidant activity performed by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging method on a 96-well plate showed that green fruit has better antioxidant activity than other parts used: leaves, stem, and ripe fruit. The 50% alcohol green fruit extract had the highest antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 48.19 µg/ml, which was 13.8 times weaker than quercetin (IC50 = 3.36 µg/ml). Overall, this study provides important information on the morphological and anatomical characteristics of Solanum incanum and its antioxidant activity, which could be useful for further studies on this herb.