DPPH radical scavenging and lipoxygenase inhibitory effects in extracts from Erythrina senegalensis (Fabaceae) DC

Erythrina senegalensis DC (Fabaceae) is a plant used in traditional medicine in Burkina Faso (West Africa) to cure several diseases such as malaria, rheumatism, abdominal pain, fibroma and infections which are always accompanied by oxidative stress. This study aimed to highlight the antioxidant activities in dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts of E. senegalensis stem bark and roots. We used the 1, 1 diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test and the 12-lipoxygenase I-B inhibitory method. We previously characterized the phytochemical groups by thin layer chromatography and colored reactions in tubes. The extracts in DCM (IC50-root: 5.18 ± 0.06 and IC50-bark: 5.76 ± 0.68) showed strong scavenging activity. However, as a 12-lipoxygenase inhibition, the DCM extracts were almost inactive. The EtOAc extracts from root (IC50-LOX: 7.21 ± 2.31; IC50-DPPH: 7.27 ± 0.13) and from stem bark (IC50-LOX : 4.95 ± 1.12; IC50-DPPH : 11.4 ± 1.3) presented both the radical scavenging and the 12-lipoxygenase inhibitory effects. Polyphenols (flavonoids, tannins), steroids and terpenoids characterized in all extracts may be involved in the observed 12-lipoxygenase inhibition and radical scavenging. Key words: E. senegalensis, antioxidant, 12-lipoxygenase I-B inhibitory.