Acute hepatitis B and its complications cause 800000 and 3300 deaths each year respectively in the world and in Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, the majority of the population uses medicinal plants to treat hepatitis. The present study consisted to identify the medicinal plants used to treat hepatitis in COMOE province of Burkina Faso. Extracts from the most cited species were screened for their antioxidant capacity (using ABTS and FRAP methods) and their content in phenolics. Thirty-two anti-hepatitis species belonging to 29 genera and 20 families were recorded in the COMOE province. Extracts from Diospyros mespiliformis and Terminalia macroptera showed the best antioxidant activities (1.17 ± 0.00 mM TEAC/g and 70.77 ± 0.4 μM ET/g ; 1.09 ± 0.03 mM TEAC/g and 81.17 ± 0.5 μM TE/g extract, respectively).The same extracts exhibited the highest total phenolic contents. Low correlation has been obtained between total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of the extracts. This finding suggests that non-phenolic antioxidant compounds would be involved in the bioactivity of these species. This study constitutes a contribution in the safeguarding of traditional hepatoprotective medicinal knowledge of COMOE province of Burkina Faso.

Background: Burkina Faso is classified among the countries with a high prevalence (˃12%) of hepatitis. Hepatic diseases, such as cirrhosis—related to alcoholism—and hepatitis B and C, are the cause of the increase in cases of liver cancer. They promote the development of cancer by decreasing the natural cell death, causing problems with DNA repair, or by increasing the production of free radical toxins to the cell. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were nearly 639,000 deaths from liver cancer worldwide in 2014, hence the need to search for natural hepatoprotective molecules. Objective: To evaluate the hepatoprotective potential of Acanthospermum hispidum extracts on rats and the antioxidant capacity of extracts in vitro and in vivo, and to perform phytochemistry. Methods: The ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the whole Acanthospermum hispidum plant were used to evaluate hepatoprotection. The hepatotoxin used in our case was diethylenitrosamine. The animals were divided into groups of six. The sera of the treated animals were used for the determination of transaminases, and the liver homogenates were used for the determination of antioxidant. The total phenol and flavonoid contents, and the antioxidant properties of the extracts, were evaluated in vitro. Results: The results of the in vitro antioxidant tests showed good antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract, using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test (0.08 ± 0.0018 μg/mL) and 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzolin-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) (246.05 ± 1.55 mmol TE/g). The in vivo tests showed, through the evaluation of the antioxidant in vivo and the biochemical parameters, that the ethanolic extract with the highest phenolic content had a good hepatoprotective capacity. Conclusions: The antioxidant activity of Acanthopermum hispidum extracts would justify the observed hepatoprotective activity. These results confirmed that the plant is used in the treatment of liver diseases in traditional medicine in Burkina Faso.

Background: Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is a hepatotoxin whose metabolic activation by liver cytochromes P450 is responsible for the necrosis, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of liver cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of Calotropis procera roots bark against DEN induced hepatocellular damage in rats. Material and Methods: Hepatoprotective activity of the ethanolic extract of Calotropis procera root bark were evaluated by induction of liver injury with DEN in Wistar male rats distributed in six groups of six. Serum hepatic markers, alanine amino transferase (ALAT), aspartate amino transferase (ASAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein and albumin were evaluated and the enzymes antioxidant activities, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, as well as the level of malonedialdehyde (MDA) were determined in the liver homogenate. Histological analysis was carried out on sections of rat livers. Phytoconstituents have also been studied.       Results: Pretreatment of rats with the extract showed a significant decrease in ALAT, ASAT and ALP while there was an increase in total protein and albumin compared to rats treated only with DEN. It also showed a significant increase in SOD and catalase and a decrease in MDA levels suggesting the hepatoprotective effect of the extract. Observation of liver sections confirmed the results of the biochemical parameters which would attest that the extract is hepatoprotective. Phytoconstituents such as sterols, triterpenes and phenolic compounds have been demonstrated. Conclusion: Ethanolic extract of Calotropis procera roots bark has shown hepatoprotective effects that could be due to its content in sterols and triterpenic and phenolic compounds.

Background: Bacterial infections are at the origin of a number of serious pathologies, including meningitis, bronchopneumopathies, typhoid fever and especially diarrhea, which are still a real public health problem for the child population in developing countries. In most of these countries, people use medicinal plants for primary health care. The objective of this study was to determine the content of phenolic compounds, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of extracts from two plants used in traditional medicine in Burkina Faso, Lannea velutina and Ximenia americana. Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Applied Chemistry (LABIOCA). Methods: The total phenolics and flavonoid content of the ethanolic extract extracts were determined by spectrometric assay. The DPPH and FRAP method were used to measure the antioxidant capacity of the extracts. The antibacterial potential was determined on five bacterial strains. Results: The ethanolic extracts of Lannea velutina showed the best polyphenol content with 969.67±8.23 ​​mgGAE/g extract against 753.145917±66.31 mgGAE/g extract for Ximenia americana. On the DPPH radical Ximenia americana gave the best activity with a percentage inhibition of 62.32±0.17% compared to Lannea velutina. This species also gave the best reducing activity with a reducing capacity of 3.45±0.97 mmol EAA/10 g of extract. Shigella dysenteria and Staphylococcus aureus were susceptible to Lannea velutina and Ximenia americana with inhibition diameters greater than 8 mm. Conclusion: These results showed that the extract has good antioxidant potential as well as antimicrobial activity. These extracts could be used to prevent damage from oxidative stress and infections.

Aims: Liver fibrosis is a chronic disease of the liver. This disease is a stage of passage to liver cancer. The objective of this work was to evaluate the ability of the ethanolic extract of Acanthospermum hispidum to block the progression of hepatic fibrosis induced in rats using diethylenitrosamine (DEN). Study Design: Study of the antifibrotic potential of extracts of Acanthospermum hispidum. Place and Duration of Study: In vivo tests were performed from September 2018 to January 2019. The animal model tests were carried out in the pet shop of the Institute for Health Sciences Jotham et al.; IJTDH, 36(1): 1-9, 2019; Article no.IJTDH.48549 2 Research (IRSS) of Burkina Faso and in the Cytogenetics Laboratory (FSS/ISBA) of the Republic of Benin. Methodology: The evaluation of the antifibrotic activity consisted in treating in wistar rats a liver fibrosis induced with the DEN which is a chemical agent whose effect on the liver has already been confirmed. As a result of the treatment, all animals were removed from the liver and blood. The livers were used for macroscopic and microscopic observations. Blood has been used for the evaluation of biochemical parameters in relation to fibrosis. Results: The analysis of the results of the biochemical parameters in relation to the fibrosis showed that the ethanolic extract of Acanthospermum hispidum at the dose of 250 mg / kg made it possible to obtain an improvement of these parameters compared to the other batches of animals. These results have been confirmed by those of the anatomo-pathological studies. Conclusion: The results of biochemical and histological analyzes revealed a capacity of Acanthospermum hispidum extracts to block the evolution of hepatic fibrosis in the rat. These results confirm the hepatoprotective potential of this medicinal plant used in traditional medicine in Burkina Faso. Original Research Article