Chemical profile, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of extracts obtained with solvents of increasing polarity from the Moroccan endemic plant Cladanthus scariosus

Abstract

Cladanthus scariosus, a Moroccan endemic medicinal plant used in traditional phytotherapy, remains poorly characterized with respect to its phytochemical composition and biological activities. This study reports, for the first time, the phytochemical profile and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of extracts obtained by Soxhlet extraction using solvents of increasing polarity (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and methanol). The chloroform extract exhibited the highest extraction yield (6.01 ± 0.66% w/dw), whereas the ethyl acetate extract showed the lowest yield (0.74 ± 0.10% w/dw). The methanolic, butanolic, and ethyl acetate extracts exhibited the highest total phenolic contents, while the hexane extract showed the highest total flavonoid content. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, quinones, anthraquinone glycosides, steroids, terpenoids, and saponins, with marked variations among extracts depending on solvent polarity. The butanolic extract displayed the strongest DPPH (IC50 = 0.032 ± 0.002 mg/mL) and ABTS (IC50 = 0.033 ± 0.001 mg/mL) radical scavenging activities, while the chloroform extract exhibited the highest ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP; EC50 = 0.013 ± 0.002 mg/mL). The highest total antioxidant capacity was recorded for the ethyl acetate extract (151.74 ± 11.90 μg AAE/mg extract). The methanolic extract exhibited the strongest β-carotene bleaching inhibition (IC50 = 0.017 ± 0.004 mg/mL), whereas the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 0.023 ± 0.008 mg/mL). This study provides a foundation for future bioactivity-guided isolation of active compounds and highlights the pharmaceutical and food application potential of this endemic Moroccan species.