TOXICOLOGICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING STUDY OF TREMA GUINEENSIS (ULMACEA), PLANT OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE (WEST AFRICA)

The leaves of Trema guineensisare used in traditional medicine to treat several pathologies like the pains, the yellow fever, cough and hypertension. In order to indicate its Tolerance limits, we determined acute toxicity threshold by the Overall Harmonized System of classification (SGH) using predetermined dose method. We have also highlighted principal chemical groups responsible for pharmacological activity. The results allowed us to conclude that any dose of Trema guineensisleaves aqueous and ethanol extracts (300 and 2000 mg/kg) was lethal for the inoculated animals. DL50 was thus higher than 2000 mg/kg. That proved clearly that the aqueous and ethanolic leaves extracts of Trema guineensiscould be used with some degree of safety by intraperitoneal route. The phytochimical analysis indicated the presence of sterol, terpen, polyphenol, flavonoid, tannin, saponosid and alkaloid in the aqueous extract whereas only the polyphenol, The Alkaloid, sterol, terpen were revealed in the ethanolic extract. The presence of these compounds confred several pharmacological activities on the leaves of the plant.