Background: In Togo, malaria constitutes a major public health problem but, until now, the population still mostly relies on herbal medicine for healing. This study aimed to document medicinal plants used for malaria therapy in the Plateau region of the country. Methodology: Semi-structured questionnaire interviews were used to gather ethnobotanical and sociodemographic data from traditional healers of the study area. Results: A total of 61 plants species belonging to 33 families were found to be in use for malaria therapy in the Plateau region. Caesalpiniaceae were the most represented family with 7 species, followed by Euphorbiaceae and Poaceae with 4 species each. According to the relative frequency of citation (RFC), Newbouldia laevis Seem. (RFC =0.52), Sarcocephalus latifolius (Sm.) E.A. Bruce (RFC =0.48), Acanthospermum hispidum DC. (RFC =0.43), and Senna siamea (Lam.) H.S. Irwin and Barneby (RFC =0.40) were the most cited in the treatment of malaria in the traditional medicine in the Plateau region. The parts of plants used could either be the barks, roots, leaves, or whole plants. The recipes also could be a combination of various species of plants or plant parts. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential sources for the development of new antimalarial drugs from indigenous medicinal plants found in the Plateau region of Togo. Such results could be a starting point for in vitro antimalarial screenings.

Objective: Chenopodium ambrosioides is an aromatic plant widely used in the Togolese traditional medicine. However, little is known about its pharmacological properties. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of its extracts. Methodology and results: Thus, an ethnopharmacological survey was undertaken in Kara town in the northern part of Togo to assess the main uses in the traditional medicine and Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectral Analysis (GC-MS) was used to identify several compounds in the extracts. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by FRAP, ABTS, DPPH methods. Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities were assessed by soybean lipoxygenase inhibition and in vitro broth micro dilution techniques, respectively. Propidium iodide cell death was evaluated by flow cytometry and in vivo toxicity was assessed using wistar rats. The ethnopharmacological survey revealed that traditional healers use C. ambrosioides to treat malaria, intestinal worms and inflammation in addition to healing wounds. The hydroethanolic extract had high content of total phenols (324.80±17.30 µgEAG/mg) and flavonoids (63.20±8.70 µgEQ/mg), however the highest antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activities were obtained with the essential oil. GC-MS analysis leads to identification of hydrocarbon monoterpenes such as 2carene, ortho-cymene and α-terpinene as the major components of the essential oil. All the tested extracts induced cell death (14.60 ± 9.23% at 2 µL/mL, 72.64 ± 15.92% at 200µL/mL and 89.50 ± 7.16 at 100 mg/mL for essential oil, hydrosol and hydroethanolic extract, respectively). Conclusion and application of results. The present study demonstrated various pharmacological activities of hydroethanolic extract, essential oil and hydrosol of leaves of Chenopodium ambrosioides. The essential oil had antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiinflammatory activities and could be the most active component of the leaves of Chenopodium ambrosioides. Our findings highlighted perspectives for the discovery of new medicinal molecules derived from plant extrats and confirmed certain practices of traditional healers. Keywords: Chenopodium ambrosioides, extract, pharmacological activities

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF PLANTS USED TO TREAT ASTHMA IN THE MARITIME REGION IN TOGO

ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN THE MARITIME REGION OF TOGO

Wastewater represents a health risk for the population. For sanitary safety, it is important to know its physico-chemical and microbiological qualities in order to better understand the risks incurred by the population. The aim of this study was to analyze Adétikopé’s domestic wastewater from a microbiological and physico-chemical standpoint. Twelve wastewater samples were taken in Adétikopé from December 2022 to February 2023. Physico-chemical parameters were determined in accordance with AFNOR and the French NF standard. In microbiology, AFNOR was used as a reference for the detection of germs contaminating wastewater. Results were assessed in relation to European Union Criteria 98/83/EC. The wastewater analyzed has a pH close to neutral, with an average pH of 7.05. The pollutant load generated ranged from 32 mG/L to 201 mg/L for BOD5, from 660 mG/L to 900 mG/L for COD and from 408 mG/L to 2080 mG/L for suspended solids. The highest levels of germs were detected in the samples taken, with values of 68,000 CFU/100 mL and 47,000 CFU/100 mL for thermotolerant coliforms and fecal streptococci, respectively. The results show that fecal contamination originates from both animal and human sources. Concentrations of fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci are very high, far exceeding WHO guidelines. While a short-term solution would be to disinfect household sanitation systems on a daily basis, in the long term, the construction of collective sanitation systems, backed up by environmental education, remains a sustainable solution for the health and safety of populations.