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Dichrocephala integrifolia is a plant widely used in folk medicine in Africa to treat central nervous diseases such as dementia. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the leave’s decoction of Dichrocephala integrifolia against D-galactose-induced neurotoxicity, oxidative stress and accelerated aging in mice. D-galactose (100 mg/ kg sc), was chronically injected daily to mice during 42 consecutive days after pretreatment with distilled water (10 ml/kg) or the decoction of D. integrifolia (35; 87.5; 175 or 350 mg/kg p.o) or vitamin C (100 mg/kg p.o). Following behavioral tasks (Open Field, Elevated Plus Maze and Morris Water Maze), animals were sacrificed on day 43 and their brains were used to evaluate some biochemical parameters of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, nitrite oxide and reduced glutathione) and for histopathological assessments. The results of this study showed that a pretreatment of animals with the decoction of D. integrifolia at the doses of 87.5 and 175 mg/kg significantly (p˂0.05) reversed learning deficits, recall of memories and oxidative stress induced by D-galactose. The decoction of D. integrifolia also prevented neurogeneration in the dentate gyrus induced by D-galactose. These results indicated that D. integrifolia possesses neuroprotective effects against D-galactose-induced senescence, probably due to its antioxidant capacities and this can at least explain the wide use of this plant in traditional medicine in Cameroon in the prevention and treatment of dementia.

The free-radical scavenging activity of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of leaves, stems and roots of Annona muricata, Monodora tenuifolia, Uvaria comperei, Uvaria muricata and Xylopia africana was evaluated using DPPH and ORAC assays. Further, phytochemical analysis, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were also determined. Moreover, the antifungal activity of extracts was studied. The findings indicated that A. muricata and U. comperei extracts own antiradical activities and moderate antifungal properties.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Malaria endemic countries have vital resources that are medicinal plants on which their traditional medicines depend. In some Cameroonian settings, in addition to the commonly used potions from plants like Alstonia boonei, Zanthoxylum macrophylla and Mangifera indica, other herbal species are being increasingly used to treat malaria. So, specialized traditional healers have developed alternative reasonably priced therapies, relying on the signs and/or symptoms of malaria. Within this framework, Annonaceae plants were found to be increasingly utilized and therefore, highlighting the need to document this traditional knowledge for better malaria control. Materials and methods Interview approach was used to document indigenous knowledge, usage customs and practices of Annonaceae species in the treatment of malaria in four Cameroonian areas (Yaounde and its surroundings, Ngoyang, Kon-Yambetta and Mbalmayo). Results A total of 19/30 users of plants accepted to share their experiences during a semi-structured survey. Twelve of the respondents were men and seven were women. Thirty recipes based on twenty-one plants were recorded. Conclusion Annickia chlorantha was the only plant commonly found in the four study sites. Seven species of Annonaceae were found to be used to treat malaria, while 14 were used to treat symptoms that might be related to malaria.