Phytochemical screening, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Rosmarinus officinalis medicinal plant from Algeria

This study aims to investigate phytochemical screening, total polyphenol, flavonoids and tannins content, antioxidant activities, and anti-infalammatory effects of methanol, water and ethyl acetate extracts of R.officinalis L growing in Mascara region (Algeria). The extracts were screened for their possible antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH free radical-scavenging and reducing power assay, in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by membrane stabilization method using sodium diclofenac as a reference drug. Phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed a presence of tannins (total and gallic), flavonoids, phenols, quinones, coumarins, saponosides, teranoids. and Reducing sugar.. The results showed that methanolic extract significantly (P˂ 0.05) antioxidant than the aqueous and ethyl acetate extract with IC50 values of (5.032 ± 1.003 μg/ml). Furthemore, the ethyl acetate extract showed significantly (P˂ 0.05) inhibition of hypotonicity induced haemolysis 94.36 % at concentration of 250 μg/ml compared to 50 % for sodium diclofenac at 100 μg/ml. The results obtained confirm the traditional therapeutic effects and these plants can be a potential source of anti-inflammatory drug.