Kigelia africana dried bark has been recommended in the management of sickle cell anemia by traditional practitioners. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro antioxidant and sickling inhibitory activities of Kigelia africana. Quantitative estimation of phenolic compounds was performed using colorimetric method in hydro-ethanolic extract (70%) and decocted. The sickling inhibitory activity was determinate according to Emmel method and the evaluation of antioxidant properties was carried out using the method of scavenging the free radical DPPH. The obtained results indicated that Kigelia africana species contains flavonoids (8.61±1.08 mg QE and 9.78±1.14 mg QE/g of dry weight) and total phenols (9.48±0.19b mg GAE/g and 11.11±0.22 mg GAE /g of dry weight) in decocted and hydroethanolic extract respectively. The IC 50 values of the ethanolic extract and the decocted were 0.320±0.01 and 0.468±0.04 mg/mL respectively. The in vitro sickle-formation inhibition test indicated the value of 89% and 82.36% for the ethanolic extract and the decocted at 10mg/mL respectively. Those values were higher than 80% which was the phenylalanine value. Both extracts showed antioxidant and sickling inhibitory activities. Overall, there could have a correlation between these activities and phenolic compound content in this studied plant extracts. These results would justify the use of this plant in rural environment.

Among the medicinal plants used in the treatment of sickle cell disease in south-east of Côte d'Ivoire is Disthemonanthus benthamianus. This paper focuses on assessing its antioxidant properties and its antisickling activity. The test of inhibition of sodium metabisulfite-induced sickling of the erythrocytes was carried out based on this evaluation. The total phenolic compounds contents were 45 ± 0.64 and 39.84 ± 0.69 mg/g of dry weight for ethanolic extract and the decocted respectively. The DPPH reduction test showed that the decocted (9 μg/mL) had a lower IC50 than the ethanolic extract (16 μg/mL). There was no significant difference between the sickling inhibitory activities of the ethanolic extract (87.00%) and the decocted (81.66%). This study showed that both extracts had sickling inhibitory and antioxidant activities.