Abstract

Background: Peptic ulcer is a major public health problem that affects about 10% of world’s population. It is a disease resulting from an imbalance between gastro protective and aggressive factors of the gastric mucosa. The treatment of this disease is usually long, expensive and also the difficulty in accessibility of the modern medications to the local population in rural zones. Peptic ulcer represent nearly 31.65% of cases of consultation in the services of gastroenterology in Cameroon. This makes poor patients rely on traditional medicine for their health problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of secondary metabolites in aqueous extracts of Ficus. thonningii Blume tested on Wistar rats.Material and methods: MDA, Catalase, Glutathione, Pepsin, SOD, ASAT, ALAT, Creatinine, XO, total proteins, were quantified using standard techniques. Phytochemical screening of plant aqueous extract for secondary metabolites was done.Results:The extraction yield of the hydro-ethanolic extract (50:50) of the bark of F. thonningii Blume was 17%.Phytochemical screening:The hydro-ethanolic extract had the greatest number of secondary metabolites at the end of the phytochemical screening. However, decoction and infusion extraction produced high level of polyphenol than the other extraction methods. Saponins was produced mainly from ethanolic maceration. The extract also showed a non-significant increase of SOD, Catalase and glutathione in the preventive and curative activity. A dose-dependent significant decrease p<.05 in MDA p<0,05 in the preventive evaluation.Conclusion: This study showed that the hydro-ethanolic extract of the mixture of the dried bark of Ficus thonningii Blume had a promising antioxidant activity at 500 mg/kg. The administration of this extract at concentration up to 2000 mg/kg could have a potential effect of vascular protection and hepatic protection.

Keywords

Ficus thonningii stem bark hydro-ethanolic extract, phytochemical screening, antioxidant, wistar rat