Insights into an endemic medicinal plant species of Madagascar and Comoros: The case of Famelona (Chrysophyllum boivinianum (Pierre) Baehni, Sapotaceae family)

Abstract Chrysophyllum boivinianum (Pierre) Baehni is an endemic plant of Madagascar and Comoros. In Madagascar, it is known by the local name "famelona". The wood of C. boivinianum is exploited for carpentry as material for building houses and ships. Its leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat fever, muscle pain and scorpion bites as well as to heal wounds. In Madagascar, it is widely used by the local population to treat many diseases. Thus, a deeper assessment of its valorisation strategy is becoming ever more crucial. The objective of this study was to determine the phenolic and organic compounds in the leaves and stems of C. boivinianum in relation to their biological activities and local uses. Solvents composed of methanol, water and chloridric acid were used for leaf and stem extractions. The two extracts were then compared with leaf infusions and stem decoctions by spectrophotometric and chromatographic analysis in order to determine phytochemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The results showed that the leaf extracts contained the highest amount of total polyphenolic compounds (TPC) (805.16 ± 1.08 mgGAE/100 gDW), followed by leaf infusions at 477.87 ± 38.49 mgGAE/100 gDW. The stem extracts and stem decoctions had lower TPC than did the leaf extracts, with 249.12 ± 7.11 mgGAE/100 gDW and 191.66 ± 14.88 mgGAE/100 gDW, respectively. The leaf infusions showed much higher antioxidant activity (49.67 ± 0.45 mmol Fe2 +/kgDW) than did leaf extracts (27.60 ± 0.32 mmol Fe2 +/kgDW). This activity was influenced by high amounts of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, at 217.08 ± 2.89 mgGAE/100 gDW and 13.02 ± 0.15 mgGAE/100 gDW, respectively. The leaf infusions were also rich in gallic acid (15.19 ± 1.63 mgGAE/100 gDW). The stem extracts and stem decoctions also had lower antioxidant activity, at 19.86 ± 7.35 mmol Fe2 +/kgDW and 12.53 ± 0.15 mmol Fe2 +/kgDW, respectively. The leaves of C. boivinianum showed a higher content of bioactive compounds than the stems, and the infusions represented the best method for extracting biomolecules with high amounts of healthy properties and antioxidant activity. Regarding antimicrobial activities, leaf extracts had higher antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhii, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans than did stem extracts. This activity was influenced by the high rates of polyphenols in the leaves

Mouse lemurs of northwestern Madagascar with a description of a new species at Lokobe Special Reserve

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A New Species of Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus medius Group) from the Ankarana and Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Massifs, Madagascar

A new species of dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus shethi sp. nov., of the C. medius group is described from the dry and transitional forests of northern Madagascar. This species can be found along the forest corridor from Ankarana Special Reserve east to the Analamerana Special Reserve down to the Bekaraoka forest in the Loky-Manambato Protected Area. This species is genetically distinct from other members of the C. medius species group and is sister to a poorly known lineage in Sambava. The identification of this new species highlights the importance of northern Madagascar as a reservoir of biodiversity

Study in vitro of the impact of endophytic bacteria isolated from Centella asiatica on the disease incidence caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum higginsianum

Thirty-one endophytic bacteria isolated from healthy leaves of Centella asiatica were screened in vitro for their ability to reduce the growth rate and disease incidence of Colletotrichum higginsianum, a causal agent of anthracnose. Isolates of Cohnella sp. Paenibacillus sp. and Pantoea sp. significantly stimulated the growth rate of C. higginsianum MUCL 44942, while isolates of Achromobacter sp. Acinetobacter sp. Microbacterium sp. Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas putida had no influence on this plant pathogen. By contrast, Bacillus subtilis BCA31 and Pseudomonas fluorescens BCA08 caused a marked inhibition of C. higginsianum MUCL 44942 growth by 46 and 82 %, respectively. Cell-free culture filtrates of B. subtilis BCA31 and P. fluorescens BCA08 were found to contain antifungal compounds against C. higginsianum MUCL 44942. Inoculation assays on in vitro-cultured plants of C. asiatica showed that foliar application of B. subtilis BCA31, three days before inoculation with C. higginsianum MUCL 44942, significantly reduced incidence and severity of the disease. The role of endophytic bacteria in maintaining the apparent inactivity of C. higginsianum MUCL 44942 in C. asiatica grown in the wild is discussed. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe