CYTOTOXICITY, ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF TEN PLANTS FROM THE BENIN PHARMACOPOEIA USED FOR ORAL CARE

This study aims to valorizeten medicinal plants traditionally used for oral care in Benin by producing scientific data on their toxicities, antimicrobial activities, and chemical properties. The ten medicinal plants (Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides, Vitellaria paradoxa, Prosopis africana, Dialium guineense, Pseudocedrela kotschyi, Parkia biglobosa, Azadirachta indica, Diospyros mespiliformis, Anogeissus leiocarpa and Bridelia ferruginea) were identified following an ethnobotanical survey conducted in Benin. With the exception of the hydroethanolic extract of Z. zanthoxyloides, all extracts have an LC₅₀ greater than 0.1 mg/mL, indicating that these plants are non-cytotoxic. Of the ten extracts tested, only the hydroethanolic extract of Z. zanthoxyloides stem has no activity on the bacterial strains used. The results of the antibacterial test show that the largest diameter of inhibition was obtained in the extract of A. leiocarpa on Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, a reference strain with 25.67mm. The highest levels of total flavonoids (FVT) and total polypenols (TPP) are recorded respectively in P. kotschyi (145.86±0.7 EC/gMS) and D. guineense (70.194±0.220 EGA/g Ms). The antiradical powers of the extracts with respect to DPPH and ABTS radicals were determined respectively by the equation lines y = -0.8784x + 2.0281 (R² = 0.9925) and y = -0.2023x + 0.5099 (R² = 0.9807) expressed in Trolox (Trolox Eq mg/gMS). The strongest antiradical activity (ABTS) was recorded in A. leiocarpa (14.97±0.83mgET/gMS), B. ferruginea (15.57±0.4 mg ET/gMS), P. africana (13.25±0.1 mg ET/gMS). These results justify the traditional use of these medicinal plants and deserve to be valued in the fight against oral diseases.