Abstract:
Traditional medicines and the use of medicinal plants in empirical or modern medicine
have commonly been the source of basic and high-level scientific research. In this work,
we assessed the antioxidant power of crude aqueous extracts of the aerial and underground
parts of two plant species of the Asclepiadaceaes family, using three preparation methods:
infusion, decoction and maceration. These species are: Pergularia Tomentosa (from
Zelfana) and Calotropis procera (from Metlili) in the Ghardaia region.
Phytochemical screening tests were carried out to identify the presence or absence of the
main secondary metabolites of the two plants. Extractions were carried out by aqueous
maceration. The total polyphenol content of the crude extracts obtained was then
determined. The antioxidant potential of the extracts obtained against DPPH and ABTS
free radicals was then assessed.
From most of the results obtained, the phytochemical screening tests revealed the presence
of secondary metabolism compounds in the aerial part more than in the underground part.
The Calotropis procera species was found to be richer in total polyphenols, with a
maximum content of around 501.96 mg EAG/g MVS in the crude extract obtained by
decoction.
Antioxidant potency tests were used to assess the potency of crude aqueous extracts in
reducing and trapping free radicals. The results obtained for DPPH radical inhibiting
power show that the extracts isolated much more by maceration are very active and have
strong antioxidant powers, with priority given to the crude aqueous extract of the
Calotropis procera species (IC50 = 49.691 µg/ mL). As for ABTS free radicals, the
aqueous crude extracts of the same species showed the best antioxidant power (IC50 =
0.278 mg/ mL).
