Antioxidant, anti-salmonella and anti-shigella activities of Bambusa vulgaris Schrad leaves. Ex JC Wendl. A medicinal plant used in Benin

Bambusa vulgaris is a world-famous medicinal plant used in Benin to treat typhoid fever, malaria, diarrhea, fatigue. The leaves have been investigated for their antioxidant, anti-shigella and anti-salmonella properties. Similarly, the phytochemical screening of ethyl and hydroethanolic extracts from the leaves was done according to the Harborne method with some modifications and revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, terpenenoids, tannins, anthraquinones, coumarin, and anthocyanins. Sterols, glucosides and saponosides are absent. The antioxidants tests for decocted extract was conducted by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods with respectively 406.4 µg/mL, 52.87 µg/mL and 103 µg/mL as scavenging concentration 50. These results confirmed the use of this plant as a natural source of antioxidant that could help in the fight against oxidative stress. The anti-shigella and anti-salmonella tests carried out by micro dilution method showed low activity (MIC˃2000 µg/mL) that can be explained by the method and the extraction solvent used.