Abstract:
The privileged geographical situation of Algeria confers a great floristic richness which represents an asset for phytochemistry, moreover until our days the Algerian population resorts to the traditional practices using plants to cure themselves. The present work is divided into two parts, the first one devoted to an ethnobotanical
investigation on the medicinal plants used in the region of Constantine and Mila and the second one includes the phytochemical study of the endemic North African plant Bellevalia mauritanica Pomel, as well as the evaluation of its biological activities in vitro. The ethnobotanical investigation of the region of Constantine and Mila, allowed us to obtain the following results: out of 102 plants mentioned, 28 new species, 31 common plants with 151 new therapeutic applications, in comparison with other regions in Algeria were mentioned and 12 new species including an endemic plant Zygophyllum cornutum Coss., 75 known plants with 369 new medicinal uses, in comparison with other regions of the Mediterranean basin. The phytochemical study of Bellevalia mauritanica Pomel by liquid chromatography coupled to a hybrid ion trap and time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC-MS-IT-TOF) indicated the presence of 91 compounds in the different phases of the crude extract of the underground part and a validated method of liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), using 37 standards revealed the content of phenolic acids rather than flavonoids, in fact the AcOEt phase contains caffeic acid (1240.7 µg/g extract) and the CHCl3 phase contains vanillin (2048.5 µg/g extract) in high amounts, as well as the evaluation of its Antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antibacterial in vitro activities showed that among the tested extracts, the AcOEt phase shows good antioxidant activity, especially in ABTS•+ (2, 2'- azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic), DPPH• (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) alkaline superoxide anion, considerable inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and moderate antibacterial effect.
