INTRODUCTION
Antioxidants aim to regulate the redox balance of our body by neutralizing pro-oxidant
molecules such as ROS, free radicals that can lead to lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress,
post-translational modification of proteins, and DNA damage, which are the cause of several
pathologies described by Sies and colleagues in several studies (Sies H, 2017; Sies H et al,
2017, Sies H, 2020). Natural antioxidants have attracted the interest of researchers over
time due to their relatively low cost and lack of side effects compared to their synthetic
counterparts (Rivera JO et al, 2013). Anti-inflammatories in the other hand are agents used
to regulate inflammatory disorders caused by an important immune response and as is the
case with antioxidants, natural anti-inflammatories, unlike synthetics one, have very low
unpleasant side effects (Sostres C et al, 2010; Ghasemian M et al, 2016).
In this context, the traditional Moroccan pharmacopoeia abounds with a variety of
medicinal plants that have the potential to prevent, cure or improve human well-being. In
order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of a plant belonging to
this pharmacopoeia, we chose the ethanolic and methanolic extract of the seeds of
Afframomum melegueta, a member of the Zingiberaceae family belonging to the panoply
of plants constituting the traditional African medicine. A recent ethnobotanical study in
the Tarfaya region revealed the traditional use of the seeds as an appetite stimulant by
the local population (Idm’hand, E et al., 2020). In addition, studies have reported the
protective activity of the methanolic extract against damage caused by CCl4
tetrachloromethane (El-Halawany, AM et al., 2014), as well as protection against quinolinic
acid-induced lipid peroxidation in the brain of rats ( Adefegha SA et al., 2012). On the other
hand, the anti-inflammatory effect of the seeds was also evaluated, and revealed the
potential to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1B and TNF-
alpha by hepatocytes treated with CCl4 (El-Halawany, AM et al., 2014).
In our study we evaluate the antioxidant activity of methanolic and ethanolic extract in
vitro using chemical free radicals, evaluating the hematoprotective effect of both extracts
against oxygen peroxide, the immunomodulatory effect of both extracts was also studied.
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