Contribution to the valorization of Herniaria fontanesii J. Gay (Caryophyllaceae) grown in Septentrional Sahara and its antioxidant activity

This study aims to study a wild plant Herniaria fontanesii J. Gay which grows in Septentrional Sahara in El Oued Algeria. The evaluation of total phenolic and flavonoids content has been estimated in both aqueous and butanolic fractions of 80% methanolic extracts obtained from the plant's aerial part. Antioxidant activity was evaluated in vitro using scavenging assays of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2′-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, ferric reducing power FRAP and molybdenum reducing power methods. The extracts showed that the plant has a good antioxidant activity reaching to 1.525± 0.010 mg/ml for IC50 in DPPH assay and 0.011± 2.16610-5 mg/ml for IC50 in ABTS assay. A comparison has been done between these results and other results for the same plant harvested in Morocco, Tunisia and Laghouat, Algeria.