FULL ARTICLE Phenolic profiling and in vitro antioxidant, anticholinesterase, and antimonoamine oxidase properties of aqueous extract of African star apple (Chrysophyllum albidum) fruit parts Ganiyu Oboh 1 | Adeniyi A. Adebayo 1 | Isaac I. Ejakpovi 1 | Opeyemi B. Ogunsuyi 1,2 | Aline A. Boligon 3 1 Functional Foods and Nutraceutical Unit, Biochemistry Department, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 704, Akure 340001, Nigeria 2 Department of Biomedical Technology, School of Health and Health Technology, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 704, Akure 340001, Nigeria 3 Phytochemical Research Laboratory, Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Federal University of Santa Maria, Build 26, room 1115, Santa Maria CEP 97105-900, Brazil Correspondence Ganiyu Oboh, Functional Foods and Nutraceutical Unit, Biochemistry Department, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 704, Akure, 340001, Nigeria. Email: goboh@futa.edu.ng Funding information None declared Abstract African star apple is a tropical edible fruit that is widely consumed among Nigerians. This present study investigated the antioxidant, anticholinesterase, and antimonoamine oxidase properties of African star apple fruit parts (flesh pulp, seed coat, and back coat) in vitro. The aqueous extracts of different parts were prepared. Thereafter, the effect on cholinesterases (acetylcholinesterase [AChE] and butyrylcholinesterase [BChE]) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities and antioxi- dant potentials (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and hydroxyl) scavenging abilities and Fe 21 chelation abilities were investigated. Phenolic contents were also assayed for, and HPLC-DAD characterization of the phenolic constituents was carried out. The results revealed that the extracts inhibited AChE, BChE, and MAO activities and exhibited antioxidant properties. Also, there is abundance of caffeic acid, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and cyanidin as revealed by HPLC-DAD. In lieu of these findings, African star apple could be considered a cheap source of antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory compounds relevant in prevention/management of neurodegeneration. Practical application The use of antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antimonoamine oxidase compounds has long been identified as useful therapeutic measures for the management of several neurodegenerative dis- eases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Nevertheless, the several side effects of such synthetic compounds have limited their use and make natural biomolecules with similar therapeutic properties good alternatives. Here, we present the various fruit parts of African star apple as rich sources of antioxidants, as well as cholinesterase and monoamine oxidase inhibitors which could offer tremendous neuroprotective properties especially in the management of neurodegenerative diseases. KEYWORDS Alzheimer’s disease, cholinesterases, Chrysophyllum albidum, neurodegeneration 1 | INTRODUCTION Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkin- son’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease, and so forth, are pathologies of multiple etiologies. Some of the therapeutic targets that have been identified in the management of neurodegenerative conditions include monoamine oxidase (MAO), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholi- nesterase (BChE), and oxidative stress (Youdim, Edmondson, & Tipton, 2006). Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a key enzyme in the degradation of neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) and a marker for cholinergic neural function, is considered a promising strategy for treat- ment of Alzheimer’s disease (Mukherjee, Kumar, Mal, & Houghton, 2007). Drugs, such as tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galanthamine are well-known as therapeutic AChE inhibitors. However, these drugs possess limitations for clinical use due to their short half-lives and/or their possible side effects (Sung et al., 2002; Zarotsky, Sramek, & J Food Biochem. 2018;e12568. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.12568 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfbc V C 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. | 1 of 10 Received: 4 January 2018 | Revised: 12 April 2018 | Accepted: 13 April 2018 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.12568