title: In vitro study of the PLA2 inhibition and antioxidant activities of Aloe vera leaf skin extracts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the present work we determined the total phenolic content of Aloe vera leaf skin (AVLS) extracts by using various solvents (hexane, chloroform-ethanol (1/1), ethyl acetate, butanol and water). We have also evaluated the antioxidant and the anti-PLA2 properties of these extracts by measuring their inhibition potency on the human pro-inflammatory phospholipase A2 (group IIA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The water extract exhibits the highest inhibitory effect with an IC50 = 0.22 mg/ml and interestingly no effect was observed on the digestive phospholipase A2 (group IB) even at a concentration of 5 mg/ml. Antioxidant activities were also analyzed and the most active extracts were observed when using chloroform ethanol (1/1) and ethyl acetate (IC50 = 0.274 and 0.326 mg/ml, respectively). Analysis of the total phenolic content reveals that the water extract, with the best anti-PLA2 effect, was poor in phenolic molecules (2 mg GAE/g). This latter value has to be compared with the chloroform-ethanol and the ethyl acetate extracts (40 and 23.8 mg GAE/g, respectively), mostly responsible for the antioxidant activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant correlation was established between the total phenolic content and the antioxidant capacity but not with the anti PLA2 activity. Results from phytochemical screening suggest that the anti PLA2 molecules were probably catechin tannins compounds.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biochimie et de Génie Enzymatique des Lipases, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Maher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kammoun
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miladi
authors.forename: Yassine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben Ali
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Damak
authors.forename: Youssef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gargouri
authors.forename: Sofiane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bezzine
mesh_terms: D000504:Aloe / Q000737:chemistry*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry; D064801:Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors; D054467:Phospholipases A2 / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010636:Phenols; D064801:Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D054467:Phospholipases A2