The anti-inflammatory and the antioxidant activities of methanol (ME) and aqueous (AE) extracts of Anacyclus clavatus were evaluated. Phenolic constituents in the extracts were screened. Croton oil-induced ear edema in mice, carrageenan-induced paw edema and pleurisy in rats were evoked. The antioxidant effect was tested by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, ion chelating, lipid peroxidation tests. Both extracts are rich in phenolic compounds. The application of 2 mg per ear of ME or AE inhibited ear edema by 84 and 83 %, respectively. The oral treatment of rats with 200 or 400 mg kg -1 of ME reduced paw edema by 64 and 74%, respectively, whereas the inhibition by AE was by 65 and 80%, respectively. At 400 mg kg -1 , the extracts decreased exudation and neutrophil migration into the pleural cavity by 64 and 66%, respectively, while the inhibition by AE was 42 and 55%, respectively. On the other hand, ME exerted scavenging activity higher than AE, while the AE chelating activity was more than that of ME. However, both extracts had similar inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation. In general, A. clavatus may be used as a source of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agents.
Arbutus unedo L. is a plant widely distributed in the Mediterranean basin and North Africa, frequently used in traditional folk medicine to treat diabetes and arterial hypertension. This study aims to evaluate the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate (EA.E) and n-butanolic (But.E) extracts prepared from leaves of Arbutus unedo. Total phenolic and flavonoids contents were determined spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH•, OH•, H2O2, O•-2, ß-carotene bleaching and AAPH-induced erythrocyte oxidative hemolysis assays. The phytochemical analysis showed the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids in both extracts. The high amount was observed in EA.E which exerted the stronger antioxidant effect, with IC50 values of 3.43 μg/mL, 323.45 µg/mL, 38.40 µg/mL and 11.56 µg/mL, in DPPH•, OH•, O•-2 and H2O2 tests, respectively. Both extracts inhibited β-carotene bleaching, but EA.E is always more potent (92%) than But.E (85%). Furthermore, the EA.E showed the highest protective effect on erythrocyte hemolysis induced by AAPH, with half time hemolysis (HT50) of 122.02 min at 40 µg/mL. Taken together, this study showed that Arbutus unedo leaf extracts possess strong antioxidant potential, which may be attributed to the presence of a high amount of polyphenolic constituents. So, this plant might be exploited as a potential source of natural antioxidant agents for pharmaceutical and food applications.
Keywords: oxidative stress, antioxidant, phenolic compounds, Arbutus unedo.
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