Ethnobotanical study, phytochemistry, and biological activities of medicinal plants in the region of Boussaâda, M’sila (Ruta montanaL.).

Abstract

The purpose of our thesis is to know the different uses of medicinal plants collected for medicinal purposes and identify the important medicinal plants used for medicinal therapy by the local people of Bousaâda (M‘sila province, South Est Algeria) then, to study the phytochemical composition and to evaluate the biological activities of Ruta montana L. (Rutacea) extracts which is a medicinal plant with a long history of traditional use to treat ailments. Methods: 534 Semi-structured interview questionnaires were used to collect and provide significant ethnobotanical information on the plants used. Bioactive compounds of R. Montana were obtained using solid-liquid extraction using solvents of increasing polarity. The obtained extracts were qualitatively analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The pharmacological properties of R. montana were also investigated. Antioxidant activity was achieved "in vitro" using two methods: scavenging of the free radical DPPH and total antioxidant capacity. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion method on 3 pathogenic bacterial strains (Escherichia Coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus). In addition, cytotoxic activity was determined by the "Brine shrimp" test. Results: most users‘ plants were women over 60 years old, with a middle level of education, the most frequently used parts of plants for the treatment, was leaves (33%) followed by seeds and fruits, the infusion (23%), followed by decoction (20%), were represent to be used more, while, the most treated disease was gastrointestinal disorders with a rate of 31.2%. A total of 193 species, grouped within 69 families were identified. Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were the most commonly reported medicinal plants with 85 and 71 species. Artemisia herba-alba, and Juniperus oxycedrus were the most widely used plants in the traditional medicine by the local population. The highest use value (UV) was observed for Citrus lemon (L.) Burm., Ficus carica L., Moringa oleifera Lam. and Olea europaea L. (UV=5). The highest fidelity level (FL) value was for 73 species. The calculated informant consensus factor (ICF) showed that diseases related to gastrointestinal disorders and diseases of the glands attached to the digestive system diseases present the highest values. Chemical investigation allowed the identification of 14 phenolic compounds. The identified compounds were mainly phenolic acids, coumarins and flavonoids. The crude extract and the different tested fractions exhibited an interesting antioxidant activity. Chloroform extract was effective against the growth of the tested bacterial strains with zones of inhibition varying between 14 and 18 mm. In contrast, ethyl acetate and butanolic extracts were almost inactive on all of the tested bacterial strains. Furthermore, the crude extract was found to exhibit antibacterial activity with 11 to 11.66 mm of inhibitions zone. No cytotoxic effect was recorded for all the tested extracts up to a concentration of 4000 μg/mL. Conclusion: Our study provided an opportunity to access and knows about the traditional uses of the inhabitants of Boussaâda, and showed that in the Bousaâda the folk use of plants still derives from daily practice. So, evaluation of pharmacological activity for the important medicinal plants is suggested. Our thesis highlights the potent bioactivity and acceptable drug-likeness of this plant, which supports its further uses.