Ethnopharmacological Survey, Mineral and Chemical Content, In Vitro Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activities of Aqueous and Organic Extracts of Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre Leaves

Abstract

Introduction. The present study is carried out for the first time on Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre from the region of Taza using an ethnopharmacological survey, an experimental study of the mineralogical and chemical compositions, and evaluations of the antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Methods. After conducting the ethnopharmacological survey, a mineralogical and phytochemical study involving the preparation of aqueous and organic extracts was done. Essential oils were also extracted by hydrodistillation. Subsequently, qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses were performed. In vitro evaluation of antioxidant activities was performed by five tests (H2O2, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and RP) and antibacterial activities by the disc method and determination of MIC and MBC. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to visualize the different correlations. Results. The different parts of the plant are used for the treatment of digestive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. In addition, the leaves are rich in mineral compounds, catechic tannins, flavonoids, and sterols. However, they have some traces of essential oils. The quantitative analysis revealed that the ethanolic macerated had a higher content of total polyphenols ( 100.27 ± 1.95 mg EAG/g E) and catechic tannins ( 52.11 ± 1.02 mg EC/g E). This extract had a strong antioxidant capacity (H2O2 ( 37.34 ± 0.55 % ), DPPH ( I C 50 = 31.18 ± 0.66 μ g / ml ), ABTS ( 108.28 ± 1.29 mg E AA/g E), FRAP ( 148.85 ± 0.43 mg E T/g E), and RP ( 10.86 ± 0.01 mg E AA/g E). The same extract had a bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that antioxidant activity was highly correlated with the chemical composition of C. humilis leaves; a high correlation was recorded between the total polyphenol content and ABTS ( r = 0.9779 ), FRAP ( r = 0.9644 ), DPPH ( r = 0.9418 ), and PR ( r = 0.9271 ) tests. In addition, cathectic tannins were highly correlated with the tests of DPPH ( r = 0.9753 ) and ABTS ( r = 0.8843 ). Flavonoids were similarly correlated with DPPH ( r = 0.8897 ) and ABTS ( r = 0.7599 ) tests. Conclusion. These results could justify the traditional use of the leaves of Chamaerops humilis in the region of Taza for the treatment of some diseases.

In Vitro Antimitotic and Hypoglycemic Effect Study and Acute Toxicity Assessment of the Aqueous and Organic Extracts of Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre

“…Faced with this situation, the treatment of cancer and diabetes in Morocco is based mainly on the use of modern protocols and drugs, which can be costly for poor people who find it difficult to access modern health care. In this regard, traditional phytotherapy is widely used due to its availability and accessibility for the treatment of several pathologies [13][14][15].…”

“…Among these plants we mention, Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre is widely distributed and used by the local population in basketry for the manufacture of the doum basket, the palm heart is consumed as a seasonal fruit, and the leaves are used to feed the livestock [15,18]. C. humilis is also used in traditional medicine to treat various pathologies including cancer [15,19,20] and diabetes [15,[21][22][23][24] and for the treatment of digestive disorders [15,19].…”

“…argentea Andre is widely distributed and used by the local population in basketry for the manufacture of the doum basket, the palm heart is consumed as a seasonal fruit, and the leaves are used to feed the livestock [15,18]. C. humilis is also used in traditional medicine to treat various pathologies including cancer [15,19,20] and diabetes [15,[21][22][23][24] and for the treatment of digestive disorders [15,19]. Additionally, Chamaerops humilis is naturally abundant in the chemical compounds including gallic tannins, steroids and terponoids, saponins, and reducing sugars [19].…”

“…Additionally, Chamaerops humilis is naturally abundant in the chemical compounds including gallic tannins, steroids and terponoids, saponins, and reducing sugars [19]. Furthermore, according to a mineralogical and phythochemical study that we have recently conducted [15], the leaves of Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea are rich in minerals such as iron (82395.00 mg kg -1 ), potassium (9354.90 mg kg -1 ), phosphorus (1828.62 mg kg -1 ), magnesium (1312.47 mg kg -1 ), sodium (627.03 mg kg -1 ), copper (542.64 mg kg -1 ), calcium (92.19 mg kg -1 ), zinc (66.15 mg kg -1 ), and selenium and strontium (3.00 mg kg -1 ).…”

“…In view of these findings and as a continuation of the work carried out on Chamaerops humilis L. var. argentea Andre [15,18], in the present work, we are interested in pursuing the validation of the therapeutic use of dwarf palm in traditional medicine through the in vitro study of its antimitotic and antihyperglycemic potentials of aqueous and organic extracts and the evaluation of its acute oral toxicity.…”