Arbutus unedo L aqueous extract is associated with in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity

Arbutus unedo l. (ericaceae) roots and leaves have been used traditionally for multiple uses,such as gastrointestinal disorders,skin diseases and urinary infections. some studies showed an in vitro antioxidant activity of this plant.aim of the study:to characterize the nutritional composition and to determine the in vivo antioxidant effect of arbutus unedo l aqueous extract.we used an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy to determine the mineral composition of arbutus unedo l aqueous extract. the in vitro antioxidant activity was measured by calculating the radical-scavenging activity (rsa) as a percentage of 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (dpph) discoloration. the in vivo antioxidant activity was determined using the dosage of malondialdehyde (mda) and superoxide dismutase (sod) stress markers in diabetic mice. phytochemical screening revealed the presence of multiples chemical metabolites such astannins,anthraquinones and flavonoids. these substances were present with high concentration in leaves and roots.while terpenoids were more present in leaves than in roots. saponins and alkaloids are totaly absent for both of them. moreover,mineral analysis demonstrated a higher content of na and zn in roots,and interesting amounts of p,mg,ca,mn,fe and k in leaves. the aqueous extracts of both parts exhibited an antioxidant power with ic50 of 4.52±0.69 and 7.24±0.73μg/ml in dpph assay,in root sand leaves respectively. there was no significant difference between arbutus unedo l group and methformin group(p > 0.05) in all of the examined parameters(mda and sod) in liver and kidney tissues. in liver and kidney,the levels of mda in arbutus unedo l group (p < 0.05) and methformin group (p <0.05) were significantly lesser thanin control group. inversely,the two study groups presented a high level of sod compared to control group. our results show that aqueous extract of arbtus unedo l is associated with an in vivo antioxidant activity and a lack of certain toxic substances in its composition. other investigations are necessary to determine the importance of this antioxidant effect in animals and in humans.