Abstract

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF PILIOSTIGMA RETICULATUM (DC.) HOCHST LEAVES

Mariame Sy*, Moussa Karé, Cheikh Sall and Abdoulaye Gassama

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Abstract

This study examined the phytochemical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of the leaves of Piliostigma reticulatum, a medicinal plant commonly used in West African traditional pharmacopoeia. After extraction using hydro-ethanolic maceration, five fractions were obtained: ethanolic, hydro-ethanolic, aqueous, ethyl acetate, and dichloromethane. A qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, coumarins, proteins, and reducing sugars in all fractions. Quantitative assays showed that the ethanolic fraction contained the highest concentrations of flavonoids (240.337 mg ER/g), total tannins (85.567 mg EAG/g), and alkaloids (90.161 mg EQ/g). The evaluation of antioxidant activity, conducted using DPPH and ABTS tests, revealed significant radical-scavenging activity, particularly for the ethanolic fraction, with IC50 values of 0.181 mg/ml for DPPH and 0.019 mg/ml for ABTS. Antibacterial activity tests on reference strains showed notable inhibition, especially for the aqueous and dichloromethane fractions. These results support the traditional use of Piliostigma reticulatum and pave the way for future research on the isolation of bioactive molecules.

Keywords: Piliostigma reticulatum leaves, phytochemical evaluation, antioxidant and antibacterial activity.