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

Phylogeographical and cytogeographical history of Artemisia herba-alba (Asteraceae) in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa: mirrored intricate patterns on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea

Artículo de 18 páginas con mapas de especificación geográfica, tablas de datos y figuras de distribución.Artemisia herba-alba is an important component of Mediterranean dry steppe floras, being widely distributed in arid areas of the Iberian Peninsula and North-West Africa. In this study, we use genetic, cytogenetic and niche modelling tools to investigate the natural history of the species, focusing particularly on the role played by polyploidization to explain current diversity patterns throughout the main distribution range of the plant. Our sequencing data indicate a complex phylogeographical structure showing similar haplotype diversity patterns on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar and no clear signals of genetic refugia. According to our cytogeographical results, we inferred multiple polyploidization events, which probably took place on the Iberian Peninsula and in North Africa independently. Environmental niche modelling suggested stable potential distributions of A. herba-alba on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea under present and past Last Glacial Maximum conditions, which could be related to the intricate spatial genetic and cytogenetic patterns shown by the species. Finally, environmental modelling comparison among cytotypes revealed that the niche of tetraploids is narrower and nested in that of diploids, a result that could indicate environmental specialization and could potentially explain recurrent establishment success of tetraploids.This work was supported by the Catalan government (grant number 2017SGR1116); by the Spanish government [grant numbers CGL2010-18039, CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P, CGL2017-84297-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)] and by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.Abstract INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS SUPPORTING INFORMATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES Supplementary dat

Structural, physicochemical and antioxidant properties of sodium alginate isolated from a Tunisian brown seaweed

An original sodium alginate from Tunisian seaweed (Cystoseira barbata) was purified and characterized by circular dichroism (CD) and ATR-FTIR spectroscopies. ATR-FTIR spectrum of C. barbata sodium alginate (CBSA) showed the characteristic bands of mannuronic (M) and guluronic acids (G). The M/G ratio was estimated by CD (M/G = 0.59) indicating that CBSA was composed of 37% mannuronic acid and 63% guluronic acid. The analysis of viscosity of CBSA showed evidence of pseudoplastic fluid behaviour. The emulsifying capacity of CBSA was evaluated at different concentrations (0.25–3%), temperatures (25–100 °C) and pH (3.0–11.0). Compared to most commercial emulsifiers, the emulsion formulated by CBSA was found to be less sensitive to temperature changes and more stable at acidic pH. CBSA was examined for antioxidant properties using various antioxidant assays. CBSA exhibited important DPPH radical-scavenging activity (74% inhibition at a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml) and considerable ferric reducing potential. Effective hydroxyl-radical scavenging activity (82% at a concentration of 5 mg/ml) and potent protection activity against DNA breakage were also recorded for CBSA. However, in the linoleate-β-carotene system, CBSA exerted moderate antioxidant activity (60% at a concentration of 1.5 mg/ml). Therefore, CBSA can be used as a natural ingredient in food industry or in the pharmaceutical field

Structural, physicochemical and antioxidant properties of sodium alginate isolated from a Tunisian brown seaweed

International audienceAn original sodium alginate from Tunisian seaweed (Cystoseira barbata) was purified and characterized by circular dichroism (CD) and ATR-FTIR spectroscopies. ATR-FTIR spectrum of C. barbata sodium alginate (CBSA) showed the characteristic bands of mannuronic (M) and guluronic acids (G). The M/G ratio was estimated by CD (M/G = 0.59) indicating that CBSA was composed of 37% mannuronic acid and 63% guluronic acid. The analysis of viscosity of CBSA showed evidence of pseudoplastic fluid behaviour. The emulsifying capacity of CBSA was evaluated at different concentrations (0.25–3%), temperatures (25–100 °C) and pH (3.0–11.0). Compared to most commercial emulsifiers, the emulsion formulated by CBSA was found to be less sensitive to temperature changes and more stable at acidic pH. CBSA was examined for antioxidant properties using various antioxidant assays. CBSA exhibited important DPPH radical-scavenging activity (74% inhibition at a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml) and considerable ferric reducing potential. Effective hydroxyl-radical scavenging activity (82% at a concentration of 5 mg/ml) and potent protection activity against DNA breakage were also recorded for CBSA. However, in the linoleate-β-carotene system, CBSA exerted moderate antioxidant activity (60% at a concentration of 1.5 mg/ml). Therefore, CBSA can be used as a natural ingredient in food industry or in the pharmaceutical field

Phylogeographical and cytogeographical history of Artemisia herba-alba (Asteraceae) in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa: mirrored intricate patterns on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea

Artículo de 18 páginas con mapas de especificación geográfica, tablas de datos y figuras de distribución.Artemisia herba-alba is an important component of Mediterranean dry steppe floras, being widely distributed in arid areas of the Iberian Peninsula and North-West Africa. In this study, we use genetic, cytogenetic and niche modelling tools to investigate the natural history of the species, focusing particularly on the role played by polyploidization to explain current diversity patterns throughout the main distribution range of the plant. Our sequencing data indicate a complex phylogeographical structure showing similar haplotype diversity patterns on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar and no clear signals of genetic refugia. According to our cytogeographical results, we inferred multiple polyploidization events, which probably took place on the Iberian Peninsula and in North Africa independently. Environmental niche modelling suggested stable potential distributions of A. herba-alba on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea under present and past Last Glacial Maximum conditions, which could be related to the intricate spatial genetic and cytogenetic patterns shown by the species. Finally, environmental modelling comparison among cytotypes revealed that the niche of tetraploids is narrower and nested in that of diploids, a result that could indicate environmental specialization and could potentially explain recurrent establishment success of tetraploids.This work was supported by the Catalan government (grant number 2017SGR1116); by the Spanish government [grant numbers CGL2010-18039, CGL2013-49097-C2-2-P, CGL2017-84297-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)] and by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.Abstract INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS SUPPORTING INFORMATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES Supplementary dat