Antioxidative and antibacterial activities of phenolic compounds from <em>Ficus sur Forssk</em>. and <em>Ficus sycomorus</em> L. (Moraceae) : potential for sickle cell disease treatment in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Ficus sur and Ficus sycomorus , two medicinal species used in Burkinabe traditional medicine for the treatment of sickle cell disease were investigated. The determination of total phenolic and tannins contents, using the method of Folin-Ciocalteu (FCR), indicate values significantly (p <0.05) higher in extracts of Ficus sycomorus compared to those of Ficus sur , with respective values of 336.80 ± 0.80 mg TAE/g of extract and 203.74 ± 0.9 mg TAE/g of extract against 247.00 ± 0.52 mg TAE/g of extract and 120.8 ± 0.83 mg TAE/g of extract. Similarly, using the method of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the results of the analysis indicate that extracts of Ficus sycomorus produce the highest antiradical activity with IC 50 value of 9.60 ± 0.02 μg/mL against 31.83 ± 0.55 μg/ mL for Ficus sur. The IC 50 value of quercetin, used as reference antioxidant, was of 4.6 ± 0.08 μg/mL. The latex of Ficus sycomorus presented the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , with respective values of 0.13 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL. The difference in phenolic content could explain the difference in biological activity between the two Ficus species. Keywords : drepanocitosis, radical scavenging, tannins, flavonoids, medicinal plants