Iron Reducing and Radical Scavenging Activities of 13 Medicinal Plants From Côte d’Ivoire

Oxidative stress has been involved in the development of varied human diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the iron reducing power and the antiradical activity of 13 plants traditionally used as medicinal plants in Côte d’Ivoire. FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and ABTS (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assays were used to assess the antioxidant property of 80 % methanol extracts prepared from the 13 plants. A high iron reducing activity was exhibited by extracts from leaves of Leea guineensis (42.76 ± 28.54 mg of TE/gdry extract) and Bersama abyssinica (39.77 ± 31.29 mg of TE/g dry extract). Smeathmannia pubescens (% ABTS = 92.44 ± 12.93 %), L. guineensis (%ABTS = 89.73 ± 15.10 %), Keetia venosa (% ABTS = 88.78 ± 17.36 %) and Sapium ellipticum (% ABTS = 85.86 ± 25.10 %), showed promising antiradical activity with IC50 values of 4.50, 5.00, 5.40 and 5.70 µg/mL respectively. These values are (p< 0.05) close to those of Trolox (CI50 = 4.10 µg/mL) and ascorbic acid (CI50 = 4.90 µg/mL). Our findings confirm the traditional use of the studied plants in treatment of various ailments. The results obtained provide promising baseline information for using these medicinal plants for improving the health status of the population.

Key words: ABTS, Antioxidants, Côte d’Ivoire, FRAP, Medicinal plants