In vivo assessment of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of Phlomis crinita polyphenols

The leaves of Phlomis crinita are traditionally used in Algerian medicine for the treatment of pain and inflammatory conditions. In order to find a potential application for this native species, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects were investigated on various in vivo experimental models, and the total phenolic compounds and flavonoid contents were determined. The carrageenan-induced paw edema method was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract in vivo, while the in vivo antioxidant effect was assessed by estimating oxidative stress parameters (MDA, CAT, and SOD). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of substances with high therapeutic values. In vivo anti-inflammatory studies show that plant extract has a significant and dose-dependent impact on the inhibition of edema formation. The maximum percentage inhibition value was 87.79% after 4 h at a concentration of 500 mg/kg. Moreover, the administration of the extract significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes in the livers of mice. It significantly (p ˂ 0.05) increased CAT and SOD activities and significantly (p ˂ 0.05) decreased the MDA level activity, compared to the control inflammatory group. Our findings support that Phlomis crinita can be considered as a promising source of therapeutic bioactive compounds. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.786033

In vitro cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of phenolic components of Algerian Achillea odorata leaves

In this study, methanol extract from Achillea odorata was evaluated for its phenolic contents using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent, and antioxidant activity using: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing activity of H2O2 and ferric reducing power assay. The total phenolic content was determined as gallic acid (GAE) equivalent. Flavonoids and flavonols contents were determined as quercetin (QE) equivalents. The cytotoxicity of the plant extract was tested against three tumor cell lines: MCF-7, Hep2 and WEHI using 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphynyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Preliminary screening was concluded in the presence of substances with large therapeutic values. The total phenolic content confirmed the presence of total phenolics in the extract and showed strong association with antioxidant activity. An important content of flavonoids and flavonols was also detected. The results of the antioxidant activities obtained indicate that A. odorata recorded a good capacity. For the cytotoxic activity, the results showed the plant extract significantly inhibited tumor cell growth and colony formation at various concentrations

In Vitro anti- Helicobacter pylori and urease inhibitory effects of polyphenolic extracts of local herbs from Algeria

Gastritis and peptic ulcers are considered as major health problems worldwide with more than 80% of chronic active gastritis are due to the pathogenic bacterium H. pylori. Due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among clinical strains of H. pylori, alternative approaches are increasingly needed. Methanolic extracts of Algerian originated Mentha rotundifolia, Eucalyptus globulus, Malva sylvestris, Inula viscosa, Achillea odorata and Utrica dioica and their contents of phenolics and flavonoids were evaluated for the in vitro antimicrobial activity against H. pylori in addition to its associated urease. The antimicrobial activity and determination of the MICs of these extracts against control strain of H. pylori was performed using standard agar diffusion method.  The highest phenolic and flavonoid contents were found in M. rotundifolia and E. globulus while M. sylvestris showed the least phenolic contents. In addition, polyphenolic fractions exhibited anti-H. pylori activity of all of the herbal extracts with  highest activity for E. globulus (MIC 0.094 mg/ml), I. viscosa, (0.375 mg/ml) and U. dioica (0.75 mg/ml), low antimicrobial activity was revield for  A. odorata, M. rotundifolia and Malva sylvestris respectively (MIC > 1 mg/ml).  For the urease activity, all extracts showed inhibitory effect at concentration of 250 mg/ml. However, the range of the urease inhibitory concentrations varied significantly among the extracts with highest activity and widest range found for E. globulus (70-90% at concentrations 8-125 mg/ml). In conclusion, the presence of potential antimicrobial activities in the polyphenolic extracts of medicinal plants against H. pylori and its associated urease would open the door for investigation of novel agents for the control of H. pylori infections