In developing countries, herbal medicine use is a common practice and the therapeutic field of herbal drugs is well-established. Numerous native plants are traditionally used as well as extracts containing pharmacologically active compounds from plants [1]. In the northern region of the Republic of Benin, patients with pain-associated diseases like musculoskeletal disorders use traditionally plants like Entada africana, Ficus thonningii, Combretum collinum, Fadogia agrestis, Piliostigma thonningii and Chasmanthera dependens. These plants are known to have anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. During a previous project, the potential anti-inflammatory effects of a novel gel formulation containing a defined amount of ethanolic or aqueous extracts of these plants were shown to be at least equivalent to a commercially available gel containing diclofenac [2]. The aim of our study is the identification and characterization of the active components of these plants. Furthermore, pharmacological tests will be carried out to analyse plant extracts and fractions in vitro to confirm the anti-inflammatory activity. A Soxhlet extraction of leaves, barks and roots using different solvents was carried out followed by a fractionation of the methanolic leaves extract of Entada africana. The extracts and fractions were analysed for the presence of polyphenols by HPLC and NMR. The screening of Entada africana leaves revealed the presence of a flavonoid, naringenin-7-O-glucoside. Moreover, extracts of leaves, barks und roots of Entada africana showed antioxidant activities in the DPPH assay. Future studies will focus on pharmacological tests with extracts and isolated compounds of Entada africana like naringenin-7-O-glucoside.
1 World Health Organization, 2001, Legal status of traditional medicine and complementar: A Worlwilde review;
2 Vissiennon, Z., Ahyi, V., Koupkaki, E., & Nieber, K; Planta Medica; 2011 , Anti-inflammatory effects of novel gel-formulations with traditional used plants in Benin 2011; 77(12), PF67.