ABSTRACT
Genus Dioscorea is commonly known as “Yam,” a good source of essential dietary nutrients, which has the potential nutritional superiority over the tropical root crops. Dioscorea oppositifolia L. (Chinese yam) and Dioscorea pentaphylla L. (five leaf yam) are commonly growing yams found more in the Western Ghats than in the Eastern Ghats. However, the preliminary assay and biological activities of most of the yams are sporadic and inattentive. In this view, the proximate composition, cytotoxicity, and anti-oxidant activity in the tuber extract of D. oppositifolia and D. Pentaphylla were carried out in the present study. During the study, the approximate composition, such as the amount of moisture, crude protein, nitrogen, free sugars, and buffer protein were assessed. This study reveals that the amount of carbohydrate, fat, amino acids, and caloric values are higher in D. Pentaphylla when compared to D. oppositifolia. The crude fiber and ash contents were comparatively higher in D. oppositifolia. The tuber extract of these yams expressed the cytotoxicity activity against the human lung carcinoma cell line (A-549), which was ascertained by a MTT assay. The present work also designed the anti-oxidant activities using the ethanolic tubers extracts of D. oppositifolia and D. pentaphylla.
