Propriétés anti-inflammatoires et cytotoxiques des extraits de fruit de Pistacia lentiscus de la région d’Ain Temouchent

Abstract

The use of plants in traditional medicine is a widespread practice worldwide. The resulting therapeutic effects and the molecules that cause them represent a promising line of research. Pistacia lentiscus is a widely distributed shrub in the Mediterranean basin. It is a plant widely used in traditional Algerian medicine in the treatment of digestive ailments, such as ulcers and colopathies, but also in pulmonary disorders against bronchitis, sinusitis and eczema. The therapeutic effects of this plant are due to its richness in phenolic compounds. The present work focuses on the evaluation of the anti-inflammatory power of the different aqueous extracts obtained after maceration, infusion and decoction of Pistacia lentiscus fruit powders. For this specific purpose, a qualitative phytochemical analysis and a study of cytotoxicity proved necessary. The results obtained showed a significant extraction yield estimated at 14.5% for the aqueous extract obtained by maceration. A considerable content of the three aqueous extracts in flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins and reducing compounds was recorded. The toxicity analysis carried out using the in vitro spectrophotometric method has ensured that our three Pistacia lentiscus fruit extracts have a low level of toxicity which is considered harmless compared to Diclofenac. These results made it possible to safely begin the evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of our three aqueous extracts. The results obtained show that our three extracts have significant anti-inflammatory capacities ranging from 80 to 90% and comparable to the protective effect of the reference molecule, namely diclofenac. This investigation led to the conclusion that our various Pistacia lentiscus fruit extracts have an important ability to fight against inflammation by preventing the lysis of the lysosomal membrane. This ability confirms the traditional use of this plant.