Phytochemical screening, antioxidant, antishigella and antileishmanial activities of ethanolic extract of Rourea coccinea (Schumach & Thonn.) Benth leaves

Rourea coccinea is widely used as a medicinal plant in the world, especially in West Africa. The phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract of leaves by applying the Houghton and Raman method with some modifications revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, tannins, coumarins, anthocyanins and anthraquinones. The antiradical test was performed using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) with a Scavenging concentration 50 (SC50) of 101.19 µg/mL, 34.73 µg/mL and 88.93 µg/mL respectively. The extract anti-shigella activity determined by the microdilution method was low. According to Jair Siquera-Neto et al., the antileishmanial study using the colorimetric resealing method showed activity against promastigote strains of Leishmania donovani with an inhibitory concentration of IC50=32.26 µg/mL. The traditional use of Rourea coccinea, to treat several diseases, would be justified by these pharmacological property's tests.