Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Activity of Two Species from Guinea-Bissau.

The dried leaves of A.Rich. and Planch. ex Oliv. are commonly used in traditional medicine throughout West Africa to treat inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the standardized hydroethanolic (70%) extracts of these plants and to investigate the underlying mechanisms, with a focus on their antioxidant properties. The anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated using a rat model of induced paw edema, while the antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging and iron-reducing antioxidant power assays. Chemical fingerprint was achieved by LC-UV/DAD-ESI/MS and the main classes of secondary metabolites were quantified by colorimetric analysis. The results showed that extract significantly inhibited the increase in paw edema volume, with the maximum effect observed at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg (20.51 ± 1.07% and 35.50 ± 6.90%, respectively). For , the strongest inhibition was observed at 200 and 400 mg/kg (47.48 ± 11.37% and 35.40 ± 1.70%, respectively). Both extracts also showed remarkable antioxidant activity. Phenol derivatives were identified as the main classes of secondary metabolites, with containing 350.1 ± 20.6 mg GAE/g DE and containing 463.4 ± 29.4 mg GAE/g DE. Ten phenolic markers were identified in and six in extracts. The main components of include myricetin-3--glucuronide, quercetin-3--glucuronide, catechin, and gallic acid, while contains gallic acid, isoquercitrin, and ethyl gallate. These results confirm the anti-inflammatory potential of and and highlight their prospects as candidates for the development of standardized anti-inflammatory herbal medicines based on their chemical and biological properties.