Phytochemical Investigation and Antioxidant Activity of Globularia alypum L.

The Moroccan flora is rich in medicinal plants that are commonly used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The present study was designed to investigate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as the antioxidant properties of leaves extracts from Globularia alypum L. colected from the Taza region in northeast Morocco. Additionally, the individual phenolics and volatiles of the extracts were also evaluated. The organic extracts of this plant were obtained by Soxhlet extraction using two different solvents, namely ethyl acetate and chloroform. The antioxidant capacity of leaves extracts was measured using DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays; the phenolic profile was determined by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS analysis, whereas the volatile composition was elucidated by GC-MS. The ethyl acetate extract analysis showed a total of 20 phenolic compounds and the determination of phenolic contents showed a significant value of 56.5 ± 0.61 µg GAE/mg of extract in comparison with the chloroform extract (18.9 ± 0.48 µg GAE/mg of extract). Also, the determination of the flavonoid contents revealed that the ethyl acetate extract contained the highest value (30.2 ± 0.55 µg CE/mg of extract) in comparison with the chloroform extract (18.0 ± 0.36 µg CE/mg of extract). Concerning the antioxidant properties, interesting values were attained for the ethyl acetate extract which exhibited higher antioxidant activity, namely IC50 = 12.3 ± 3.83 µg/mL and IC50 = 37.0 ± 2.45 µg/mL for the DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively, whereas a value of 531.1 ± 17.08 (mg AAE/g DW) was obtained for the FRAP assay. Concerning the volatile profile, a total of 73 compounds were positively detected and among them n-hexadecanoic acid (13.5%) was the most abundant one. The results achieved confirm the important role of this plant as a source of natural antioxidants

Caractérisation d’un périmètre de reboisement de pinède en vue de proposition des essences les plus appropriées, cas du Jbel Zemzem (Nord-ouest, Maroc)

La dégradation accélérée des forêts est un défi majeur pour les gestionnaires. Le reboisement constitue alors une solution importante pour l’amélioration des services écosystémiques voire la survie des écosystèmes. Comparée à d’autres essences comme l’Eucalyptus, les pins renferment une biodiversité plus élevée. Nous avons étudié la phytodiversité d’un périmètre de reboisement avec quatre espèces et deux variétés de pins (Pinus halepensis, P. pinaster var. maghrebiana et var iberica, P. pinea et P. canariensis) afin de proposer l’essence la plus convenable au reboisement. Sur les 38 relevés floristiques réalisés, 83 espèces ont été recensées appartenant à 34 familles. Les valeurs de l’indice de diversité étaient maximales dans les plantations de P. halepensis et P. pinea et minimales dans celles de P. canariensis. L’ordination multidimensionnel non métrique et la Classification Ascendante Hiérarchique ont montré trois groupes : groupe à P. halepensis et P. pinea, groupe à P. maghrebiana et Quercus suber et groupe à P. iberica et P. canariensis. P. halepensis et P. pinea ont montré un cortège floristique relativement riche mais avec un appauvrissement structurel comparé à la subéraie originale. Il ressort que le reboisement à base de P. maghrebiana et dans une deuxième place P. halepensis améliore la structure des peuplements et présente un potentiel important pour la gestion des reboisements au nord du Maroc

Evaluation of Different Extraction Methods on the Phenolic Profile and the Antioxidant Potential of Ceratonia siliqua L. Pods Extracts

The present work was designed to investigate the effects of different extraction processes, namely ultrasonic-assisted, supercritical fluid, microwave-assisted and Soxhlet applied to carob pods. The total phenolic quantification and the antioxidant activity were assessed by the means of rapid in vitro spectrophotometric assays; the phenolic profile was identified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The results revealed that the phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity varied significantly with the nature of the extraction process. The content of total phenolic compounds ranged from 11.55 to 34.38 mg GAE/g DW; the content of total flavonoids varied from 3.50 to 10.53 mg QE/g DW, and the content of condensed tannins fluctuated from 3.30 to 6.55 mg CE/ g DW. All extracts performed differently on antioxidant activity when determined by the DPPH assay producing a dose-dependent response, with IC50 extended from 11.33 to 6.07 µg/mL. HPLC analysis enabled the identification of nine compounds. As a function of the studied extraction methods, the phenolic compound contents were positively correlated with antioxidant activity