HPTLC Phytochemical Screening and Hydrophilic Antioxidant Activities of Apium graveolens L., Cleome gynandra L., and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Used for Diabetes Management

Diabetes mellitus is a socially significant disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and metabolic disorders of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids due to reduced function of insulin. Medicinal plants, rich in bioactive components that promote prevention and treatment, are inexpensive and no side effects. Apium graveolens, Cleome gynandra, and Hibiscus sabdariffa from Burkina Faso were investigated for their phytochemical profile and antioxidant activities. The high-performance thin-layer chromatography profile revealed flavonoids, tannins, and sterols in these herbaceous. The Hibiscus sabdariffa methanolic extract exhibited the highest total phenolic (138.4 ± 0.5 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoid (52.8 ± 0.6 mg RuE/g DW) contents comparatively to Cleome gynandra and Apium graveolens. Hibiscus sabdariffa methanolic extract also presented the highest antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.31 ± 0.002 mg/mL) using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity assay. A high correlation between flavonoid contents and hydrophilic antioxidant activities (r = 0.99) was observed, indicating that flavonoids contribute significatively to these herbaceous antioxidant properties. Apium graveolens, Cleome gynandra, and Hibiscus sabdariffa constitute a natural source of phenolic compounds that could be exploited in diabetes mellitus management.