Phytochemical screening, evaluation free radical scavenging activity and toxicity study of three aphrodisiac products aphrodisiac products sold on the markets of Korhogo (Côte d'Ivoire)

Abstract

This study is based on the phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity evaluation and toxicity study of three aphrodisiac medicinal products (HV, KA and KK) sold in the markets of Korhogo (Côte d'Ivoire), with a view to revealing to the population the advantages and disadvantages of their uses. Phytochemical sorting of secondary metabolites using color tube reactions and thin layer chromatography (TLC) revealed the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, coumarins, tannins, phenolic acids, steroid-terpenoids, saponins and alkaloids in the HV medicinal extract. In contrast, only alkaloids and steroid-terpenoids were detected in KA and KK. The presence of these secondary metabolites is thought to underlie the antioxidant activities observed by both qualitative (tube and TLC) and quantitative (spectrophotometric) analytical methods towards the DPPH free radical. However, quantitative spectrophotometric analysis showed a better antioxidant activity of KA with IC50 = 0.113 mg/mL compared to that observed in HV and KK with IC50 of 0.602 mg/mL and 0.807 mg/mL respectively. The oral toxicity study using the OECD 423 method showed that the 03 drug products can be considered almost non-toxic with LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg BW. The overall phytochemical and biological results highlighted the beneficial effects of these three medicinal products, whose use presents no major hazards for the organism.