Abstract
Objective: In this study, we were interested in qualitative, quantitative phytochemical characterization and evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of the total extracts of a plant from northern Morocco, the species selected for this study is Withania frutescens.
 Materials and Methods: Analysis of mineral elements by inductive coupling plasma-atomic absorption spectroscopy (ICP-AES), phytochemical screening, polyphenol and tannin assays, evaluation of antioxidant activity by the 1,2-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method and reducing power.
 Results: The plant contains alkaloids, saponins, tannins, mucilages, and coumarins. It has a relatively high content of total polyphenols and tannins of 19.53±0.018 μg genetic generalized epilepsy/mg MS and 6.258±0.062 μg Eqcat/mg MS, respectively. The analysis of mineral elements by ICP-AES shows that our species is rich in mineral elements which are calcium, magnesium, and sodium, and it is devoid of metallic elements such as nickel, lead, cadmium, and cobalt. The evaluation of antioxidant activity by the DPPH free radical scavenging method shows that the half maximal inhibitory concentration of the tested extracts has an antiradical activity of about 0.056±0.008 μg/ml for the ethanol extract and 0.213±0.004 μg/ml for the methanol extract compared to the butylated hydroxytoluene value of 0.009±0.0004 μg/ml which was used as a reference. The reducing capacity test shows that methanolic extract has a high antioxidant capacity (0.213±0.006) compared to ethanolic extract (0.043±0.004) but remains low compared to ascorbic acid (0.003±0.0004) which was used as reference.
 Conclusion: Phytochemical analysis of W. frutescens shows that this plant is rich in high quantities of alkaloids, saponins, mucilage, tannins, and coumarins. It contains an average amount of total polyphenols and tannins that confer significant antioxidant activity to the plant studied.
Highlights
The use of natural herbal molecules instead of synthetic drugs has proven to be more effective and with fewer side effects
In the context of preliminary studies in research on active substances in medicinal plants, we chose Withania frutescens, a natural species in Morocco known for its use in the treatment of poisoning in traditional pharmacopoeia [2]
Our study aims to carry out a qualitative and quantitative photochemical characterization of the total extracts of this species to identify the active substances that can be used in the production of phytomedicaments
Summary
The use of natural herbal molecules instead of synthetic drugs has proven to be more effective and with fewer side effects. They can be fatal or toxic to the body if they are used unreasonably Phytochemical techniques make it possible to extract active substances present in the various parts of the plants by means of solvents with different polarities to obtain a maximum yield. In the context of preliminary studies in research on active substances in medicinal plants, we chose Withania frutescens, a natural species in Morocco known for its use in the treatment of poisoning in traditional pharmacopoeia [2] It is a honey plant due to its inflorescence rich in nectar. It has been shown the possibility of using this plant in wastewater treatment for the removal of mineral metal ions [3]; some studies showed that this plant contains high concentrations of alkaloids, saponins, catechic tannins, and flavonoids [4]. Our study aims to carry out a qualitative and quantitative photochemical characterization of the total extracts of this species to identify the active substances that can be used in the production of phytomedicaments
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