TITLE:
Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activities of Water Lilies Seeds, Neglected and Underused Species in the Delta and Lower Valley of the Senegal River
AUTHORS:
Fatou Kine Gueye, Lahat Niang, Birane Dieng, Modou Fall Gueye, Nicolas Cyrilles Ayessou, Mame Samba Mbaye, Kandioura Noba
KEYWORDS:
Water Lilies, Women of the Senegal River Valley, Food Security, Neglected and Underused Species (NUS)
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.13 No.6,
June
20,
2022
ABSTRACT: Studies carried out in the delta and the lower valley
have demonstrated, through ethnobotanical surveys, the importance of the
species Nymphaea lotus L. and Nymphaea micrantha Guill. et Perr in the
diet. The seeds are used in food and pharmacopoeia with a good appreciation by
the indigenous population, especially in the diet of diabetics. However,
studies on their biochemical aspects are still very rare in the literature. It
is for this reason that this study was conducted to gather useful scientific
information to allow a better appreciation of the pharmacological
potentialities of these seeds. To do so, seeds were collected in ponds,
tributaries of the Senegal River, dried in the shade, and divided into three
different batches: a batch of red seeds of N.
lotus, a batch of black seeds of N.
lotus, and a batch of seeds of N.
micrantha. Chemical screening, tannin, flavonoid, and polyphenol assays as
well as antioxidant power of the seeds were carried out according to official
standard methods. The results obtained in the qualitative analysis showed the
presence of a high quantity of tannins, total phenols, flavonoids, and
alkaloids, as well as a lower quantity of cardiac glycosides and the absence of
anthracene compounds and saponosides in the seeds. The assay showed that
Tannins are the highest (38.118 ± 0.021 to 118.132 ± 0.034 mg EAT/g DM)
followed by flavonoids (24.057 ± 0.113 to 31.970 ± 0.087 mg EC/g DM) and
polyphenols which are the lowest (0.544 ± 0.054 to 1.955 ± 0.120 mg EAG/g DM).
In addition, these seeds have a high antioxidant power with high inhibition
percentages, ranging from 83.92% ± 1.40% to
87.67% ± 0.16%. The promotion of their consumption could thus have a positive
impact on the health of the populations of the Senegal River valley.