title: Antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituent of two plants used to manage foot and mouth disease in the Far North Region of Cameroon.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Plants used in the Far North Region of Cameroon by livestock farmers to manage foot and mouth disease (FMD) in cattle and the phytochemical composition and antioxidant potentials of two of them (Boscia senegalensis [BS] and Tapinanthus dodoneifolius [TD]) were investigated in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ethno veterinary data were collected from 325 livestock farmers using semi-structured interviews from September 2011 to April 2012. The 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content (TPC) were first performed with five different solvents to choose the best extract of each plant based on these two factors. To achieve our aim, the ferric iron reducing activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA), free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), vitamin E and iron content were analyzed on extracts selected using current techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that 12 plants of 8 different families are regularly used by farmers to manage FMD. It also demonstrated that acetone extract of TD and methanolic extract of BS are the extracts which showed the best total antioxidant activity (AA) and the best TPC. In general, TD show the best AA during the HRSA and FRSA analysis compared with BS. Similarly, TD content more phenolic compounds and tannins than BS. Both plants contain proteins, saponins, tannins, phenols, alkaloid, and polyphenols which are known to have many biological activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results support the AA of both plants and can justify their use by herders to treat FMD which is often followed by many secondary diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture, Livestock and by-products, The Higher Institute of the Sahel, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Ronald Romuald Bebey Ngom
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Vougat
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Harquin Simplice
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Foyet
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture, Livestock and by-products, The Higher Institute of the Sahel, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ziebe
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Garabed
keywords: Antioxidant activity; Boscia senegalensis; Tapinanthus dodoneifolius; foot and mouth disease