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Background: Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. is a plant used in traditional medicine in Burkina Faso in the treatment of several diseases, of which diabetes is characterized by oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant potential of the extracts of leaves of this plant. Methods: The crude hydroethanolic extract (HEE) of the leaves of Z. mauritiana and their partitionates in n-hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate, and in the residual aqueous solution (the F1, F2, F3, and F4 fractions, respectively) were first prepared. The content of polyphenols was determined and the antioxidant effects of the extracts were evaluated by their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, inhibition of lipid peroxidation (TBARS), and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Results: The HEE as well as the F3 and F4 fractions were rich in polyphenols with contents between 58 and 84 mg equivalent gallic acid per 100 mg. The flavonoid content was 4 mg quercetin equivalents in the HEE and the F4 fraction. Except for the F1 fraction, the HEE and the other fractions showed significant DPPH scavenging activity (IC50 between 8 and 12 μg/mL). The IC50 of TBARS by different extracts was in the range 1–5 μg/mL, and the FRAP activity was 7–85 mg ascorbic acid equivalent per 100 mg. Total polyphenol content was highly correlated with the antioxidant activities. Conclusions: The HEE, F3, and F4 fractions were found to be the richest in polyphenols and had the best antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of the extracts of the leaves of Z. mauritiana is due to these polyphenolic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pot experiments were conducted in a nursery in 2008 in Mali to study the effect of mycorrhizal symbionts on the growth and root infection of Ziziphus mauritiana and Tamarindus indica seedlings in unsterile soils. Three treatments were used and consisted of two types of inoculum ( Glomus aggregatum, G. fasciculatum) and an uninoculated control. The seedlings were non-destructively assessed each month, and an additional, destructive harvest was made, after 6 and 10 months for Z. mauritiana and T. indica respectively. Mycorrhizal inoculation had a more positive impact on the growth of Z. mauritiana than on T. indica. G. aggregatum significantly ( P < 0.01) improved the growth of Z. mauritiana seedlings. However, the growth of T. indica seedlings was significantly better in the control compared to the two types of inoculum used. This indicates that unsterile nursery soil may contain effective mycorrhizal propagules. The mean percentage of infection of Z. mauritiana seedlings (74%) was significantly higher than that of T. indica (57%). We conclude that mycorrhizal inoculation can improve both mycorrhizal infection and growth of Z. mauritiana seedlings in unsterile nursery soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]