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Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob tree) is a Mediterranean evergreen, well known for its medicinal properties. The different parts of Carob were proven to exert antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiproliferative effects. Hence, the present paper aims to validate the positive correlation between the high antioxidant activity of carob seed peels and the improvement of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Materials & Methods: The antioxidant activity was carried out using the β-carotene test. Methionine and carob seed peels (CSP) extracts (50 and 100 mg/kg) were orally administrated to mice for a week. After administration, behavioral tests were assessed using the Y-maze, elevated plus maze, and forced swimming tests, as well as the novel object recognition task. Furthermore, the oxidative stress status was evaluated by analyzing the levels of the antioxidant enzymes: Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde levels (MDA). Results: Both extracts exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity and showed antibacterial effect against Gram-positive bacteria tested (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative). Therefore, Escherichia coli was very resistant. The behavioral tests proved the efficacy of CSP in enhancing the cognitive impairment of animal models of schizophrenia. Hence, the stated correlation between oxidative stress and schizophrenia was confirmed by the increased SOD and GPx activities and the decreased MDA level. Conclusions: The present study gave further confirmation of the potential correlation between oxidative stress and the development of psychiatric disorders and highlighted the use of natural antioxidants, especially Ceratonia siliqua L. in the improvement of cognitive impairment in the dementia of schizophrenia.

L'huile essentielle des feuilles de Tetraclinis articulata Vahl Masters et ses fractions obtenues par fractionnement de type flash sont analysées par GC et GC/MS. L'huile essentielle totale des feuilles est constituée de l'acétate de bornyle (30,6 %), le camphre (18,6 %), l'α-pinène (16,8 %), le limonène (5,7 %) et le bornéol (4,7 %) comme composés majoritaires. Le fractionnement de l'huile a donné une fraction hydrocarbonée (FH) et trois fractions oxygénées FO1, FO2 et FO3. La fraction FH est constituée d'hydrocarbures monoterpéniques principalement l'α-pinène (28,2 %) et le limonène (12,6 %), la fraction FO1 regroupe principalement l'acétate de bornyle (47,2 %) et le camphre (26,5 %), alors que les fractions FO2 et FO3 concentrent particulièrement le bornéol (37,5 et 32,2 %) et le camphre (20,8 et 15,3 %) de manière respective. L'activité antimicrobienne testée avec l'huile des feuilles et ses fractions montre que l'huile brute et ses fractions oxygénées FO2 et FO3, constituées essentiellement du bornéol et du camphre, sont les plus actives. La fraction FO2 en particulier serait donc recommandée pour optimiser l'activité antimicrobienne de l'huile essentielle de Tetraclinis articulata.

The objective of this study was to perform phytochemical screening, estimate the total phenolics and flavonoids, and to evaluate the antioxidant potential of Tomborissa comorensis fruit. The dried and pulverized fruit of Tomborissa comorensis (150 g) were extracted exhaustively by the Soxhlet method with increasing polarity of solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol). Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods were used to estimate the total phenolic and flavonoid content of the extracts. Three different methods, namely, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, reducing power scavenging activity (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity, were used to determine in vitro antioxidant activity. Phytochemical screening concerns the presence of flavonoids in the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts and tannins only on the methanol extract. The total phenolic and flavonoid content results show greater dominance in the methanol extract. All tests showed significant dose-dependent antioxidant activities. The ethyl acetate extract shows high activity in DPPH radical scavenging activity, but in a reducing power assay, it is the methanol extract that manifested high activity. The results of this study show that the fruit of T. comorensis is a rich source of phenolic compounds that can play an important role in preventing the progression of many diseases.

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