Ethnobotanical Study and Antioxidant Activity of Plants Used to Treat Respiratory Infections of District of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)

The management of respiratory infections has become a global health problem due to the resistance observed in bacterial strains to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to identify the medicinal plants commonly used to treat respiratory infections in the Bobo-Dioulasso district. A Survey questionnary was used to collect information from 50 traditional practitioners. The results revealed 28 plant species Belonging to 17 families. The most frequently cited species were Sterculia setigera (18%), Entada africana (12%), Faidherbia albida (8%) and Annona senegalensis (6%). Decoction and methanol macerations were prepared made from the barks of these four species. Spectrophotometric methods were then used to determine total polyphenols and flavonoids, and to assess antioxidant activity using DPPH, FRAP and ABTS tests. These assays showed that the highest levels of total polyphenols were found in the aqueous (56.127 mgGAE/100 mg extract) and methanolic (52.806 mg GAE/100 mg extract) extracts of Entada africana. The aqueous extract of Faidherbia albida (1.509 mgQE/100 mg) showed the highest total flavonoid content. As for antioxidant activity, the methanolic extract of Faidherbia albida (8125. 3075 ± 208.187 µmol AAE/g extract) showed the highest capacity to trap the ABTS•+ radical. The DPPH+ radical was most reduced with the aqueous extract of Sterculia setigera (767.688 ± 5.901 µmol AAE/g extract). The aqueous extract of Entada africana (4245.966 ± 52.1010 µmol AAE/g extract) showed the highest capacity to reduce Fe3+. These results open up new perspectives in the search for new molecules to combat oxidative stress.