Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Some Marrubium Species Essential Oil: a Review

This paper reviews information on essential oil of Marrubium species (except M. vulgare) described until now regarding extraction, chemical composition and biological activities. Marrubium essential oils, although quantitatively poor, are rich in chemical composition. This composition consists especially of sesquiterpenoids and a little amount of monoterpenes. It varies from one species to another, sometimes within same species. Marrubium essential oils exhibit antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. However, because the lack of literature concerning essential oil of these species, further studies are necessary, particularly regarding their activities

Consensus Level and Knowledge of Spontaneous Medicinal Plants Used in Algerian Central Steppe Region (Djelfa)

Ethnobotanical studies gather pure information that can be used to support scientific research. Traditional remedies are considered as an alternative tool to chemical treatments in health care. This study aims to investigate the knowledge of spontaneous medicinal plant used by healers and elderly people. Moreover, it focuses on consensus level estimation of used medicinal plants. An exhaustive survey was carried out in the region of Djelfa in Algeria. The information was gathered from 43 informants who responded to structured questionnaire. Survey data were quantitatively characterized by five indices, namely; relative frequency citation, medicinal use-value, family use-value, informant consensus factor and fidelity level. In the current study, 51 species belonging to 28 botanical families were recorded and 185 uses and 58 diseases were described as well. Most recipes used a single species; however, some preparations were used as a species mixture. This specific preparation is called "Djor yebrir" and it was used as a curative treatment. The most represented families were the Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Cupressaceae and Poaceae. The most cited species were Artemisia campestris L., Juniperus phoeniceae L., Teucrium polium L., Marrubium deserti (Noë) Coss., Artemisia herba alba Asso., Ruta montana (L.) L. and Saccocalyx satureioides Coss. et Durieu. These species were mentioned to treat mainly digestive system diseases and signs and ill-defined morbid states which showed the highest consensus level. This study reveals that traditional remedies are still used in this region. This information showed the abundance of medicinal plants and the ethnobotanical knowledge in the studied region which need to be preserved, so phytochemical and biological screenings are more than needed

Consensus Level and Knowledge of Spontaneous Medicinal Plants Used in Algerian Central Steppe Region (Djelfa)

Ethnobotanical studies gather pure information that can be used to support scientific research. Traditional remedies are considered as an alternative tool to chemical treatments in health care. This study aims to investigate the knowledge of spontaneous medicinal plant used by healers and elderly people. Moreover, it focuses on consensus level estimation of used medicinal plants. An exhaustive survey was carried out in the region of Djelfa in Algeria. The information was gathered from 43 informants who responded to structured questionnaire. Survey data were quantitatively characterized by five indices, namely; relative frequency citation, medicinal use-value, family use-value, informant consensus factor and fidelity level. In the current study, 51 species belonging to 28 botanical families were recorded and 185 uses and 58 diseases were described as well. Most recipes used a single species; however, some preparations were used as a species mixture. This specific preparation is called "Djor yebrir" and it was used as a curative treatment. The most represented families were the Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Cupressaceae and Poaceae. The most cited species were Artemisia campestris L., Juniperus phoeniceae L., Teucrium polium L., Marrubium deserti (Noë) Coss., Artemisia herba alba Asso., Ruta montana (L.) L. and Saccocalyx satureioides Coss. et Durieu. These species were mentioned to treat mainly digestive system diseases and signs and ill-defined morbid states which showed the highest consensus level. This study reveals that traditional remedies are still used in this region. This information showed the abundance of medicinal plants and the ethnobotanical knowledge in the studied region which need to be preserved, so phytochemical and biological screenings are more than needed

Teneur en iode et qualité des sels alimentaires commercialisés dans la région de Djelfa [Iodine content and quality of dietary salts marketed in the Djelfa region]

Introduction. L’Algérie, à l’instar des autres pays, a adhéré au programme universel d’iodation de sel initié par l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS) dans le but d’éliminer les troubles dus à la carence en iode (TCI). Objectif. L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer la teneur en iode des sels alimentaires commercialisés dans une région steppique centrale de l’Algérie et d’estimer le degré de respect du programme d’iodation du sel. Matériel et méthodes. Quarante cinq échantillons de sel alimentaires commercialisés dans la localité de Djelfa ont été analysés. Ces échantillons proviennent de neuf marques différentes. Les analyses physicochimiques ont porté sur le dosage de la teneur en iode par titrage iodométrique, le dosage de la teneur en chlorure de sodium (NaCl), la détermination des matières insolubles et de l’humidité. Résultats. Les résultats obtenus montrent que la teneur en iode varie d’un échantillon à l’autre (p<0,05) et que 77,78% des échantillons sont considérés comme non conformes à la législation algérienne en vigueur, fixée entre 50,55 et 84,25 mg/kg de sel. Cette fraction renferme deux groupes, un exempt d’iode ou du moins à très faible concentration, l’autre, bien que iodé, accuse un déficit important en cet élément (p<0,01). Tous les échantillons sont conformes au regard des autres paramètres, excepté pour le NaCl où seulement 44,44% des échantillons sont déclarés conformes. L’analyse de variance montre que tous les paramètres dépendent significativement de l’échantillon testé. Conclusion. Cette étude doit être confortée avec une étude épidémiologique concernant la prévalence des TCI, tout en la généralisant à d’autres régions et en essayant de trouver des liens entre la prévalence de ces derniers et la teneur en iode des sels commercialisés. Toute généralisation, à ce stade s’avère hasardeuse

Effect of Some Heavy Metals on Seed Germination of Medicago arborea L. (Fabaceae)

The present work deals with the effect of three heavy metals (zinc, copper and lead) on germination of Medicago  arborea  seeds. Solutions of four concentrations (25, 50, 75  and 100 ppm) of each heavy metal were tested separately, and deionised water was used   as a control treatment. The experiments were conducted during 14 days, under strictly controlled laboratory conditions according to a completely random design with three replicates of 20 seeds/Petri dish, for each treatment. The following germination indices: Final germination percentage (FGP), Mean daily germination (MDG), Mean germination time (MGT), Germination index (GI) and Germination value (GV) were estimated. The results showed that FGP, MDG, GI and GV were significantly affected by heavy metal stress. In contrast, the increase of applied heavy metal dose resulted in prolongation of MGT, and therefore, in significant increase of its value. It should be noted that M. arborea seeds were able to germinate even at 100 ppm, which is a concentration higher than critical limits for agricultural soils and irrigation water. This suggests that M. arborea could be considered as a moderately tolerant species, at least during the germination phase, to metal stress and as a candidate with acceptable potential for phytoremediation. AR-S

Therapeutic use of spontaneous medicinal flora from an extreme environment (dune cordon) in Djelfa region, Algeria

Context: In some extreme environments such as dune cordon in the region of Djelfa, the ability of species to adapt to extreme conditions, especially climatic stresses, appears to be highly developed. Notwithstanding this importance from an ecophysiological point of view, the plant genetic resources of the Algerian steppe are very little known and especially poorly valued. Aims: To inventorying the spontaneous species in an extreme “dune cordon” environment of the Algerian steppe and to collect information on the ancestral know-how of the local populations in terms of therapeutic use of these species. Methods: Foremost, a herbarium has been made which includes all species inventoried in dune cordon, then an ethnobotanical survey materialized by a direct questionnaire was conducted with different actors involved in the field of medicinal plants. It concerns the traditional use of these species. Results: Seventeen plants (20%) of the listed plant species have been recognized and identified as medicinal species. These plants belong to 13 families of which the Lamiaceae family is the most represented, followed by Asteraceae and Poaceae. Several diseases are treated by these species by local populations, some have a definite therapeutic use while others are used in the treatment of several diseases. The most incriminated pathologies concern rheumatism, diabetes, dental pain, fever and renal function. Leaves are most used with decoction as the most used mode. Conclusions: Results of the study showed that dune cordon contains a wide variety of spontaneous plants, which have a beneficial interest. It also indicated the link between natural resources and humans and the therapeutic use of these species for profit by local population. The rich ethno-pharmacological knowledge of this population must be preserved and valued. A phytochemical screening and biological investigation are needed to test this ancestral know-how

Phenotypic characterization of the Rembi sheep of Algeria

International audienceLe cheptel ovin algérien reste méconnu, malgré son intérêt économique et les qualités très précieuses des races locales qui montrent des adaptations excep- tionnelles dans des conditions environnementales extrêmes. La variabilité phé- notypique de la Rembi, race algérienne menacée, a été étudiée au moyen d’une analyse discriminante multivariée. L’échantillonnage a pris en considération la diversité des environnements de production présents dans le pays selon les recommandations de la FAO. Au total 722 femelles et 60 mâles ont été phé- notypés sur une grande zone incluant le berceau de la race, en utilisant 21 variables quantitatives et 12 variables qualitatives. Les résultats montrent une forte homogénéité phénotypique qui suggère une homogénéité intraraciale au niveau génétique, à confirmer par des analyses moléculaires. En effet, aucune structuration phénotypique n’a été mise en évidence, que ce soit en considérant le statut de la ferme (privée/étatique), la zone climatique (aride/semi-aride/sub- humide), la mobilité du troupeau (sédentaire/semi-sédentaire/transhumant) ou encore la variété. Seule la considération du facteur région a permis la mise en évidence de sous-groupes au sein de la race. Les échanges commerciaux, orga- nisés autour de marchés principaux, favorisent les flux d’individus à l’intérieur des différentes régions et semblent responsables d’un modèle phénotypique unique. Ces résultats permettent pour la première fois de caractériser finement la Rembi. Les indices morphologiques la situent notamment parmi les races à viande. Cette étude est la première étape vers la mise en place de programmes de conservation de cette race très menacée par des croisements avec la Ouled- Djellal, la race algérienne dominante