In vitro Antisickling Activity of Anthocyanins from Ocimum canun (Lamiacea)

Some medicinal plants used in Congolese traditional medicine in the management of sickle cell disease have showed interesting antisickling activity in vitro.  In the present work, antisickling activity of different extracts from Ocimum canum, a medicinal and aromatic plant used in Congolese traditional medicine, was studied. Aqueous, methanolic, ethyl acetate, n-hexane and dichoromethane extracts were tested using Emmel’s test.  Polar extract (Aqueous, methanolic, ethyl acetate) showed antisickling activity when non polar (n-hexane and dichoromethane) were inactive.  Anthocyanins extracts from O. canun leaves yielded 8.7 % and showed a strong antisickling activity.  This biological activity is dose-dependent and reaches a sickle shape normalization rate of 88.5%  at a minimal normalization concentration of  15 µg/ml.