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Thymus munbyanus Boiss. & Reut., is a small shrub endemic to Morocco and Algeria, and it is commonly used to treat several diseases, including digestive, circulatory, genital, skin, urinary, nervous and respiratory diseases. The extracts... more
Thymus munbyanus Boiss. & Reut., is a small shrub endemic to Morocco and Algeria, and it is commonly used to treat several diseases, including digestive, circulatory, genital, skin, urinary, nervous and respiratory diseases. The extracts of this thyme are rich in a wide variety of phenolic compounds such as polyphenols and volatile phenols and exhibit numerous biological activities. The present review summarizes the literature investigations reported on Thymus munbyanus concerning various pharmacological and biological properties as well as phytochemical aspects. This species revealed a richness in phenolic compounds in its volatile oils, including thymol and carvacrol, as well as in its non-volatile extracts including phenolic acids phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, salvianolic acid, ferulic acid, etc.), flavonoids (luteolin, gallocatechin, quercetin, isorhamnetin, etc.). Moreover, powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were reported for this Thymus species,...
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Food Science, Biology, Antioxidant, Cultivar, and 3 morePhoenix dactylifera, Flavonoid, and ABTS
Le present travail a pour objectif de valoriser les produits agricoles, par le biais de la certification, qui est l’un des leviers les plus importants pour le developpement de l'ecosysteme oasien. Elle peut contribuer a l’amelioration... more
Le present travail a pour objectif de valoriser les produits agricoles, par le biais de la certification, qui est l’un des leviers les plus importants pour le developpement de l'ecosysteme oasien. Elle peut contribuer a l’amelioration des revenus, a lutter contre l’exode rural, a la protection de l'environnement, a la promotion de la femme et a la resorption du chomage. Ceci a travers l’analyse des pratiques agricoles menees par les agriculteurs et proposer par la suite une demarche pour favoriser la certification bio dans les oasis. Dans ce travail, des enquetes ont ete menees aupres des agriculteurs du territoire de Goulmima. Le questionnaire utilise a porte sur les pratiques agricoles des producteurs oasiens, l’analyse de ces dernieres a permis d’identifier les bonnes pratiques afin de les adapter au cahier de charge de la certification biologique et par la suite proposer une demarche de conversion des producteurs oasiens a l’agriculture biologique. Les principaux resulta...
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Analysis of essential oil (EO) obtained from Pulicaria mauritanica in southeast of Morocco allowed the identification of 23 components, which accounted for 91.6% of the total oil in which carvotanacetone was the predominant constituent... more
Analysis of essential oil (EO) obtained from Pulicaria mauritanica in southeast of Morocco allowed the identification of 23 components, which accounted for 91.6% of the total oil in which carvotanacetone was the predominant constituent (55.1%), followed by (E)-Phytol (6.8%), β-caryophyllene (6.6%) and Thujopsene (4.9%). Antimicrobial potential of P. mauritanica oil in liquid and vapor phase against different fungal strains (Penicillium expansum, Alternaria sp., Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis and Aspergillus brasiliensis ATCC 16404) and bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Salmonella abony NCTC 6017) was determined by agar dilution method and disc volatilization method. S. abony was the most sensitive bacteria, providing the lowest growth with an MIC equal to 0.039 mg mL. Alternaria sp., R. stolonifer and A. brasiliensis were found to be fungal susceptible to the EO of P. mauritanica and...
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Phoenix dactylifera L. (date palm) seeds have been mentioned in the Moroccan pharmacopoeia as efficient remedies against a wide range of diseases including hepatic and gastrointestinal disorders and countless infections. The current work... more
Phoenix dactylifera L. (date palm) seeds have been mentioned in the Moroccan pharmacopoeia as efficient remedies against a wide range of diseases including hepatic and gastrointestinal disorders and countless infections. The current work was performed to assess the phenolic profile and hepatoprotective potential of two date seed varieties, locally known as Jihl and Majhoul, aqueous extracts against paracetamol- (PCM-) driven liver toxicity in 42 Wistar rats. The polyphenol profile was built by means of an HPLC analysis. Hepatic damage was provoked by exposing rats to PCM at a dose of 1.5 g/kg once a week. Besides PCM, Jihl and Majhoul date seed extracts (200 and 400 mg/kg) were administered orally in a day-to-day routine. Our findings showed that among the examined polyphenol compounds, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, caffeic acid, and rutin were the most abundant phytochemicals. Date pits significantly ( p < 0.001 ) stabilized the PCM-driven alterations in liver function parameters ...
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Traditional Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Lamiaceae, Antioxidant, and 4 moreDPPH, Ocimum, ABTS, and Origanum
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Abstract This study aims to evaluate the effect of polar and less polar fractions of Thymus atlanticus (T. atlanticus) on inflammation and hyperlipidemia in animal models, and on coagulation and lipid peroxidation in vitro. Polar and less... more
Abstract This study aims to evaluate the effect of polar and less polar fractions of Thymus atlanticus (T. atlanticus) on inflammation and hyperlipidemia in animal models, and on coagulation and lipid peroxidation in vitro. Polar and less polar fractions of T. atlanticus were analyzed by HPLC and their antioxidant activities were evaluated using different in vitro methods. The anti-inflammatory effect was tested using arachidonic acid and xylene-induced inflammation tests in animal models. Acute hyperlipidemia was induced in mice by an intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339. After 24h, plasma was collected to analyze lipid profile. The effect of the fractions and heparin on coagulation of the rabbit blood was explored in vitro by partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and thrombin time tests. The results indicated that rosmarinic acid was the main phenolic acid. All fractions significantly protected plasma lipids against oxidation. The ethyl acetate fraction significantly inhibited inflammation induced by arachidonic and xylene in mice and rat, respectively. The administration of fractions at a dose of 2 g/kg body weight markedly decreased plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-C but only the aqueous fraction increased the level of HDL-C in hyperlipidemic mice. The blood coagulation was completely inhibited even at very low concentration of fractions (280 µg/mL of plasma). T. atlanticus could be a source of potential lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory compounds.
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Abstract Three Moroccan date seeds ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties ( Majhoul , Boufgous and Bousthammi ) were evaluated for their proximate, phytochemical and nutrient compositions. The crude fiber ranges between 15.84–19.9 g/100 g... more
Abstract Three Moroccan date seeds ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties ( Majhoul , Boufgous and Bousthammi ) were evaluated for their proximate, phytochemical and nutrient compositions. The crude fiber ranges between 15.84–19.9 g/100 g DW, moisture (4.554–8.259%), protein (4.309–6.144% of DW), ash (1.097–1.3% DW) and fat (5.662–6.972% DW). The most abundant fatty acids of date seed oils as revealed gas chromatography were oleic, lauric, myristic, palmitic and linoleic acids. The physicochemical analysis of date seeds oil shows an acid value between 1.083–1.813 mg KOH/g, saponification value (202.33–222.74 mg KOH/g), peroxide value (1.243–1.01 meq O 2 /kg) and iodine value (45.40 and 58.02 g Iodine/100 g). The unsaponifiable matter of date seed oils was found between 0.62% and 1.103%. Among the eight studied minerals potassium, magnesium and calcium were the predominant of macroelement and iron was the predominance of microelement. The antioxidant of date seeds assessed using three assays varied between 10.966–22.86 mmol Trolox equivalent/100 g DW, 4.807–8.021 mmol Trolox equivalent/100 g DW and 0.166–0.112 g/l for FRAP, ABTS and IC50 of DPPH respectively. The phenolic and the flavonoid content of date seeds found changed between 2697–5342 mg Gallic acid equivalent/100 g DW and 1224–1844 mg Rutin equivalent/100 g DW respectively. Results showed that date seeds could be used as ingredients to enhance the nutritional value of some functional foods for human consumption as well as using additives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
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Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) inflorescence rot caused by Mauginiella scaettae poses a serious threat to date palm in Morocco. The present study aims to determine the antifungal activity of five plant extracts against M. scaettae,... more
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) inflorescence rot caused by Mauginiella scaettae poses a serious threat to date palm in Morocco. The present study aims to determine the antifungal activity of five plant extracts against M. scaettae, including Acacia cyanophylla, Cupressus atlantica, Eucalyptus torquata, Nerium oleander, and Schinus molle and link this effect to their content in phenolics and flavonoids, as well as their antioxidant properties. Plant extracts exhibited significant discrepancies regarding their antifungal activity ( p < 0.05 ). The extracts of E. torquata and C. atlantica had the strongest and dose-dependent manner inhibitory effect against mycelial growth and spore germination. E. torquata and S. molle caused the greatest sporulation reductions of about 88.05% and 36.11%, respectively. In addition, there were significant differences among the examined plant extracts with respect to their total polyphenols (14.52–76.68 mg GAE/g DW), flavonoids (8.75–57.78 g RE/1...
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Inflorescence rot is a serious constraint to date palm cultivation in Morocco. However, studies on the management of this fungal disease are limited. We compared seven fungicides (Thiram, Thiophanate-methyl, Copper oxychloride, Mancozeb,... more
Inflorescence rot is a serious constraint to date palm cultivation in Morocco. However, studies on the management of this fungal disease are limited. We compared seven fungicides (Thiram, Thiophanate-methyl, Copper oxychloride, Mancozeb, Fosetyl-aluminum, Chlorothalonil and Maneb) based on their antifungal activity against the causal agent, M. scaettae, in vitro. Data on the effects of these fungicides on the pathogen mycelial growth, spore germination and sporulation indicate that Thiram, Thiophanate-methyl, and Copper oxychloride had significantly the strongest inhibitory activities. The three fungicide were then tested in an experiment for their abilities to control inflorescence rot on date palm cultivar “Majhoul” under field conditions. The study was conducted following a factorial design with 3 factors; the factor “fungicide” with 3 levels (3 fungicides), the factor “fungicide concentration” having 2 levels (60%, 0.6X and 80%, 0.8X, of the concentration recommended by the manu...
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Background Lkhzama (Lavandula officinalis), Mard-doch (Origanum majorana), and Lahbak (Ocimum basilicum) are aromatic and medicinal plants widely used in Moroccan folk medicine as a treatment for numerous diseases including liver... more
Background Lkhzama (Lavandula officinalis), Mard-doch (Origanum majorana), and Lahbak (Ocimum basilicum) are aromatic and medicinal plants widely used in Moroccan folk medicine as a treatment for numerous diseases including liver diseases, rheumatism, and diabetes. This study was undertaken to examine the antioxidant and antihemolytic activities of the aqueous extracts of these plants. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using three in vitro tests: DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) radical scavenging activity, FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power assay), and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assay. The antihemolytic activity of plant extracts was evaluated against AAPH (2,2′-azobis(2-amidino-propane) dihydrochloride)-induced erythrocyte hemolysis. Results Our findings showed that all plant extracts displayed significant antioxidant and antihemolytic effects. In fact, among the studied plant extracts, the highest antiox...
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Background “Bayoud” disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa) poses a serious threat to date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Morocco. However, research studies performed to discover biological methods to control this... more
Background “Bayoud” disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa) poses a serious threat to date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Morocco. However, research studies performed to discover biological methods to control this disease remain limited. The present study has set objectives to determine antifungal activity of five plants extracts (Acacia cyanophylla, Cupressus atlantica, Eucalyptus torquata, Nerium oleander, and Schinus molle) against Foa and link this effect to their content in polyphenols and flavonoids as well as their antioxidant properties. Results Plant extracts showed significant differences (p < 0.05) regarding their antifungal activity. The extracts of E. torquata and C. atlantica showed the strongest antifungal effect resulting in the inhibition of mycelial growth, sporulation, and spore germination in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, there were significant differences among the examined plant extracts in respect to their total polyphenols (1....
Research Interests: Analytical Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, Agriculture, Food Chemistry, and 15 moreFORENSIC, Immunopharmacology, Free Radical, Essential Oil, Computers, Chemical Analysis, Agricultural, Applied Science, Antioxidant Activity, Ascorbic Acid, EDS, Food Sciences, Chemical Composition, Environment, and Ellagic acid
Background Thyme has been used for centuries in southeastern Morocco to treat a wide range of diseases such as inflammation disorders. The aim of the current study is to examine and to compare in vitro the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,... more
Background Thyme has been used for centuries in southeastern Morocco to treat a wide range of diseases such as inflammation disorders. The aim of the current study is to examine and to compare in vitro the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticoagulant activities of three thyme species grown in southeastern Morocco. Results Data showed that all studied species possess an important antioxidant activity: Thymus atlanticus (IC50 = 16.59 μg/mL), Thymus zygis (IC50 = 15.43 μg/mL), and Thymus satureioides (IC50 = 14.65 μg/mL). Concerning the anti-inflammatory activity, the highest effect was depicted in Thymus atlanticus followed by Thymus zygis and Thymus satureioides. With regard to the anticoagulant activity, the aqueous extract of these species prolongs activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, and thrombin time significantly (p
Different extracts from five spices and herbs (thyme, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and clove) were studied by using cold and hot extract methods. The present investigation was carried out to study the effect of extraction method on antioxidant... more
Different extracts from five spices and herbs (thyme, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and clove) were studied by using cold and hot extract methods. The present investigation was carried out to study the effect of extraction method on antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, chemical compositions and total phenolic compounds for each extract. The obtained data showed that, the main phenolic compounds in thyme and cumin were (e-vanillic, pyrogall, caffic, cinnamic and salicylic), ginger and cinnamon were (Pyrogall, caffeic, e-vanillic and cinnamic), and clove were (gallic, pyrogall, catechol, caffeic, e-vanillic and cinnamic). While, the main flavonoid compounds in thyme and cumin were (naringin, rutin, hisperiden, rosmarinic and hespertin), ginger and cinnamon was (rutin) and clove were (naringin , rutin, hisperiden, rosmarinic, apegenin). Hot extract led to increase the total phenolic compounds of thyme, cumin and cinnamon extracts from 302.0 to 340.6, from 270.3 to 299.0 and from 270.0 to 282.0 mg GAE/100ml, respectively. Also, antioxidant activity was increased for thyme, cumin and cinnamon extracts from 82.35 to 91.93%, from 16.47 to 48.91% and from 24.37 to 53.28%, respectively. Meanwhile, total phenolic content of clove and ginger extracts were decreased from 268.6 to 241.3 and from 376.0 to 348.0 mg GAE/100 ml, respectively. While, antioxidant activity was decreased from 15.97 to 12.10% and from 93.60 to 89.58% for clove and ginger extracts, respectively. On the other hand, the antimicrobial effect of thyme and cumin extracts was decreased by hot extract, while, the antimicrobial effect of clove and ginger extracts was increased. Meanwhile, there were no distinct changes between cold and hot extract of cinnamon in the antimicrobial effect.
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For a long time, Apiaceae species have been widely employed in the southeast of Morocco for culinary and folk healing purposes. In the current study, we investigated three Apiaceae herbs known as coriander (Coriandrum sativum), celery... more
For a long time, Apiaceae species have been widely employed in the southeast of Morocco for culinary and folk healing purposes. In the current study, we investigated three Apiaceae herbs known as coriander (Coriandrum sativum), celery (Apium graveolens), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) for their antioxidant, antiperoxidative, and antihemolytic properties. The HPLC-DAD has been used to classify and measure phenolic compounds. The major phenolic compounds studied were p-coumaric, chlorogenic, caffeic acids, luteolin, and quercetin. The polyphenol level was also estimated via Folin–Ciocalteu’s method, aluminium chloride, and acidified vanillin. Parsley showed the highest polyphenol level and, thus, showed potential antioxidant activities demonstrated by DPPH, ABTS scavenging tests, and reducing power (FRAP), as well as TBARS assays. Very strong correlations were depicted among phenol levels and antioxidant assays (R2 ≥ 0.910) and among antihemolytic activity and flavonoids (R2 ≥ 0.9...
The aim of this study was to determine the functional composition and antioxidant activities of eight major date fruit varieties grown in Morocco. The analysis shows that date fruit contains a high amount of sugar (66.03–83.05% DW) but a... more
The aim of this study was to determine the functional composition and antioxidant activities of eight major date fruit varieties grown in Morocco. The analysis shows that date fruit contains a high amount of sugar (66.03–83.05% DW) but a low content of fat (0.218–0.363% DW) and protein (2.2–3.45% DW). Among the eight studied minerals potassium, calcium and magnesium were the predominant. Moreover, the niacin is the major B vitamin of all analyzed varieties. The total phenolic content was found between 331.86 and 537.07 mg GAE/100 g DW, the flavonoid between 68.88 and 208.53 mg of RE/100 g DW and condensed tannins between 57.56 and 92.141 mg CE/100 g DW, the antioxidant activity ranged between 383.90 and 846.94 µmol TE/100 g DW for ABTS, 6.255 and 2.046 g of date/l for DPPH IC50 and 406.614 and 860.89 µmol
TE/100 g DW for FRAP assays. The results suggest that date fruit, which is good source of vital nutrients and antioxidant, is an extensive and varied field.
TE/100 g DW for FRAP assays. The results suggest that date fruit, which is good source of vital nutrients and antioxidant, is an extensive and varied field.