Comparative Assessment of the Phytochemical and Selected Heavy Metal Levels in iCucumis sativus/iL. and iSolanum aethiopicum/iL. Fruit Sample Grown in South Eastern and North Central Regions of Nigeria Respectively

摘要

style="font-family:""> style="font-family:Verdana;">Studies were carried out to comparatively assess the phytochemical and heavy metal levels in style="font-family:Verdana;">Solanum aethiopicum style="font-family:Verdana;">L. and style="font-family:Verdana;">Cucumis sativus style="font-family:Verdana;">L. fruit samples grown in the South Eastern and North Central regions of Nigeria respectively using standard analytical procedures and instrumentation. The fruit samples were assayed for selected heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Cu) using atomic absorption spectrophotometer after wet digestion of the samples. The five detected phytochemicals (flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and glycosides) were present at varying amounts in the investigated fruit samples from the South Eastern and North Central regions of Nigeria. The range of mean values of flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and glycosides in the style="font-family:Verdana;">S. aethiopicum style="font-family:Verdana;">L. fruit samples from the two studied regions were 0.50 - 0.57, 0.53 - 1.26, 0.44 - 0.78, 1.12 - 1.93 and 0.40 - 0.50 mg/g respectively. The range of mean values of flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and glycosides in the style="font-family:Verdana;">C. sativus style="font-family:Verdana;">L. style="font-family:Verdana;">fruit samples from the two studied regions of Nigeria were 1.27 - 1.69, 0.53 - 0.55, 0.96 - 1.51, 0.41 - 0.83 and 0.90 - 1.74 mg/g respectively. The range of mean vales of Pb, Cd, and Cu in the style="font-family:Verdana;">S. aethiopicum style="font-family:Verdana;">L. fruit samples from the two studied regions were 0.15 - 0.24, 0 - 0.01, 0.78 - 1.12 μg/g respectively. 0.31 - 0.40, 0.02 - 0.05 and 0.62 - style="font-family:""> style="font-family:""> style="font-family:Verdana;">0.96 μg/g were the range of mean values of Pb, Cd and Cu style="font-family:Verdana;">respectively in the style="font-family:Verdana;">C. sativus style="font-family:Verdana;">L. style="font-family:Verdana;">fruit samples from the two studied regions of Nigeria. Of the three investigated heavy metals, only Cd was at toxic levels in the style="font-family:Verdana;">C. sativus style="font-family:Verdana;">L. fruit samples from the South Eastern and North Central regions of Nigeria. This is therefore a health concern to the fruit consumers that includes these fruits in their habitual daily fruit diets. Although the therapeutic and pharmaceutical benefits that style="font-family:Verdana;">would style="font-family:Verdana;"> be derived from consuming style="font-family:Verdana;">, style="font-family:Verdana;"> the investigated fruit samples ha style="font-family:Verdana;">s style="font-family:Verdana;"> been shown in this study, there is therefore a possible risk of undue exposure to environmental pollutants such as heavy metal, especially through growing these fruits in polluted soils resulting from unwholesome anthropogenic practices. For fruit consumers to derive maximum health benefits from consuming these fruits, pollutants like heavy metals must be at non-toxic levels and this can only be achieved by ensuring that these fruits samples are grown and harvested in environments with less anthropogenic activities.