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Context: Boswellia dalzielii Hutch. (Burseraceae) is an aromatic plant. The leaves are used for beverage flavouring.Objective: This study investigates the chemical composition and biological activities of various extracts. Materials and methods: The essential oil was prepared via hydrodistillation. Identification and quantification were realized via GC-MS and GC-FID. Consecutive extractions (cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol) were carried out and various chemical groups (phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, antocyanins and sugar) were quantified. The volatile compounds of organic extracts were identified before and after derivatization. Antioxidant, antihyperuricemia, anti-Alzheimer, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities were evaluated. Results: In the essential oil, 50 compounds were identified, including 3-carene (27.72%) and a-pinene (15.18%). 2,5-Dihydroxy acetophenone and b-D-xylopyranose were identified in the methanol extract. Higher phenolic (315.97 g GAE/kg dry mass) and flavonoid (37.19 g QE/kg dry mass) contents were observed in the methanol extract. The methanol extract has presented remarkable IC 50 ¼ 6.10 mg/L for antiDPPH, 35.10 mg/L for antixanthine oxidase and 28.01 mg/L for anti-5-lipoxygenase. For acetylcholinesterase inhibition, the best IC 50 (76.20 and 67.10 mg/L) were observed, respectively, with an ethyl acetate extract and the essential oil. At 50 mg/L, the dichloromethane extract inhibited OVCAR-3 cell lines by 65.10%, while cyclohexane extract inhibited IGROV-1 cell lines by 92.60%. Discussion and conclusion: Biological activities were fully correlated with the chemical groups of the extracts. The ethyl acetate and methanol extracts could be considered as potential alternatives for use in dietary supplements for the prevention or treatment of diseases because of these extracts natural antioxidant, antihyperuricemic and anti-inflammatory activities.ARTICLE HISTORY

BackgroundAtakora mountains in Benin are a unique but fragile ecosystem, harboring many endemic plant species. The ecosystem is undergoing degradation, and the woody vegetation is dramatically declining due to high anthropogenic actions and recurrent drought. This study aimed to (i) assess the diversity of threatened woody species and (ii) identify their potential substitutes in the three regions of the Atakora mountains namely East Atakora, Central Atakora, and West Atakora.MethodsThe data were collected during expeditions on surveyed localities through semi-structured individual interviews. Free-listing was used to record threatened woody species and which were important and why. Alpha-diversity indices were used to assess diversity of threatened and important threatened woody species. A correspondence analysis was used to determine the reason supporting their importance. Differences in species composition were assessed using analysis of similarities. A number of potential substitutes were compared among species using generalized linear models.ResultsA total of 117 woody species (37 families and 92 genera) were identified. The most prominent families were Fabaceae (19.66%), Combretaceae (12.82%), and Moraceae (10.26%), and the richest genera were Ficus (10 species), Combretum (6), and Terminalia (5). Most threatened species differed across regions (East Atakora, Central Atakora, and West Atakora) and included Afzelia africana, Anogeissus leiocarpa, Borassus aethiopum, Diospyros mespiliformis, Khaya senegalensis, Milicia excelsa, and Pterocarpus erinaceus. Most socio-economically important species (K. senegalensis, Parkia biglobosa, Vitellaria paradoxa, and V. doniana) were used mainly for food, timber, and fuelwood purposes. Old and adult people, and Dendi and Fulfulde sociolinguistic groups had greater knowledge of threatened woody plant species. High intercultural differentiations in species composition were detected between Bariba-Berba and Bariba-Natimba. Knowledge of substitutes also differed across regions with P. erinaceus, Isoberlinia spp., and A. africana being the most cited substitutes.ConclusionBasic data was provided here to inform decision and guide efficient management of woody resources. There was evidence that immediate conservation measures are required for some high economic value woody taxa which were critically threatened. Ex-situ conservation of these species while promoting their integration into agroforestry-based systems were recommended. Besides, community-based management programs and community-led initiatives involving knowledgeable people from different horizons will lead to a long-lasting conservation of these threatened resources.

RESUMELes forêts sacrées connaissent une dégradation proportionnelle à l'augmentation des populations riveraines et du développement de leurs activités socioéconomiques. La présente étude avait pour objectif d'étudier la structure forestière de la forêt sacrée de Nassou, et d'évaluer les possibles effets anthropiques sur les caractéristiques dendrométriques et écologiques de 4 essences fruitières ligneuses. A cet effet, un inventaire forestier de 60 placettes carrées de 900 m 2 réparties suivant un échantillonnage stratifié aléatoire dans les trois formations végétales de ladite forêt a été réalisé. De plus, les niveaux de pressions anthropiques ont été notés en suivant une grille d'évaluation. Certains paramètres structuraux ont été calculés et analysés. Les paramètres dendrométriques et écologiques obtenues variaient globalement en fonction des formations végétales pour les quatre espèces. En général, les plus fortes valeurs sont obtenues en forêt dense sèche par comparaison aux autres formations. Les distributions en diamètre au sein de la forêt présentent globalement des allures normales mais la structure de chaque peuplement d'espèce présente des allures diverses. De plus, une corrélation négative et non significative de manière globale a été observée entre les niveaux de pression et les espèces cibles, indiquant une pression anthropique dirigée vers d'autres espèces. Il faudra donc continuer les investigations pour identifier les espèces les plus vulnérables au choix sélectif des populations et leur effet sur la viabilité des peuplements. ABSTRACTSacred forests are deteriorating in proportion to the increase in riparian populations and the development of their socio-economic activities. This study assessed forest structure of sacred grove Forest of Nassou and possible human effect on biometric and ecological parameters of four fruit plant species. To that P. O. AGBANI et al. / Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 12(6): 2519-2534, 2018 2520 end, a forest inventory in 60 plots of 900 m 2 were established using a stratified random across the three vegetation types of the forest. In addition, pressure scale were used to appreciate pressure threshold on target species. Some structural parameter were calculated and statistically tested. Main results shown a variation of biometric and ecological following vegetation types with the highest values obtained in dry forest. Diameter structure were globally followed normal distribution for the whole forest, whereas per species and across vegetation the distribution varies a lot. Moreover, negative correlation between human pressure and diameter structure of the target species. This indicate a pressure on others species of the forest leading to further studies to identify vulnerable species to selective choice by local population and consequences on their viability.

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