Phytochemical Characterization and Systemic Exposure of Bioactive Metabolites of the Aqueous Extracts of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae) on Albino Wistar Rats
Estella Tembe Fokunang
Department of Pharmaco-toxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Ngo Biyiha Marilyn Orlane Ara
Department of Pharmaco-toxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Ambassa Pantaleon
Department of Organic Chemistry and Natural Products, Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Njinkio Nono Borgia Legrand
Department of Pharmaco-toxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Ngameni Bathelemy
Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Fokunang Charles *
Department of Pharmaco-toxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Ficus thonningii (Blume) is considered as a herbal plant with well documented biological activity in the management of several diseases in the tropics. However, there is a gap of information on its safety and proof of efficacy in evidence-based medicine. The objective of this study was to characterize the bioactive metabolites of the hydro-ethanolic extract of the stem bark of Ficus. thonningii and in vivo evaluation of the systemic exposure of the bioactive metabolite. Phytochemical screening was done using standard extraction techniques, and test according to methods adopted from Sofowora and collaborators. Quantitative analysis was done using spectrophotometer of plant extract with different reference standards.
Analysis of the animals' plasma following administration of the extract was used to investigate systemic exposure to confirmed the presence of absence of metabolites in systemic circulation.
This work shows that F. thonningii (Blume) stem bark hydro-ethanolic extract contains polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, catechic tannins, gallic tannins, coumarins, quinones, phlobatannins. This study shows that the hydro-ethanolic extract of F. thonningii contains total phenolic content of 192,27 ± 3,40 mgEQ/MS g gallic acid and total flavonoid content of 103,59 ± 15,72 mgEQ/MS quercetin. This study shows that the secondary metabolites in the hydro-ethanolic extract of the stem bark of F. thonningii (Blume) were not detected in plasma and not bioavailable.
Keywords: Ficus thonningii, hydro-ethanolic extract, stem bark, phytochemical screening, bioactive metabolites, systemic exposure