DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sajb.2026.v14i10.007

Pages: 704-709

Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloïdes is a medicinal plant used in traditional African pharmacopoeias. The present study aimed to quantitatively characterize the main groups of phytochemical compounds in the aqueous extract of its stem bark and to evaluate its anti-inflammatory activity in vivo. The plant material was collected in the town of Dikodougou, in the Poro region, in northern Côte d’Ivoire. The aqueous extract was obtained by macerating the plant powder in distilled water, followed by successive filtrations and oven drying. Alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, polyphenols, and saponosides were quantified using spectrophotometric methods. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in Wistar rats using the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, comparing the extract to a negative control and to diclofenac, which was used as a reference. The extraction yield was 13.06%. Phytochemical analyses revealed the highest reported values for terpenoids (173.80 mg/mL), followed by saponosides (3.07), polyphenols (1.91), alkaloids (0.48), and flavonoids (0.10), according to the units presented in the original results. At a dose of 100 mg/kg, the extract was associated with edema inhibition of 50.36 ± 11.41% at the fifth hour, compared with 78.23 ± 10.02% for diclofenac. These findings suggest that the aqueous extract of Z. zanthoxyloïdes stem bark may have anti-inflammatory potential. However, further statistical and phytochemical analyses are needed to confirm this interpretation.