Etude botanique et phytochimique

Abstract

The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica), it’s cactus of the genus Opuntia, which contains a many medicinal properties. The organization of the genome study of this species by using the conventional cytogenetics methods: acetic carmine and silver nitrate (AgNO3) staining, indicates that this species is octoploid 2n = 88 with a base number x = 11. The karyotype reveals the presence of three types of chromosome. The coloration with a silver nitrate indicates a number of nucleoli varies from 1 to 4 with a majority of one nucleolus per cell found that there is an active site. Our work has focuses also on Opuntia ficus indica cladods extracts study. The analysis of these extracts by HPLC and colorimetric tests shows the presence of some chemical groups (total polyphenols) capable of expressing the desired activity. Theirs antiradical activities are evaluated through chemical tests such as hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, DPPH, FRAP scavenging tests and the phosphomolybdate method. The result shows a high reducing activity of certain extracts. The antibacterial activity of this extracts is evaluated by the solid medium diffusion and the MIC is determined by the liquid medium dilution methods. The results show that the EAc has the highest power on the Staphylococcus aureus strain. The results of toxicology tests performed in vitro and in vivo, on erythrocytes blood isolates, larvae, rats and rabbits indicate that this plant has very low toxicity. The various pharmacological tests perform in vivo of the aqueous extract of Opuntia ficus indica shows that it has important properties: hypoglycemic, very significant analgesic activity; using pain models induced by chemical and thermal stimuli, better wound contraction during the inflammatory response and the proliferative phase, and also it causes a significant improvement in hepatic antioxidant status in rats there were liver toxicity induced by CCL4. Allelopathic compounds detected in the cladods of prickly pear are phenolic compounds that have an inhibitory effect on the germination and growth of the target plant.