Anti-amnesic and Antioxidant Potentials of Bombax costatum for Mental Illness Treatment: A Traditional Medicinal Plant from Burkina Faso

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate anti-amnesic efficacy of Bombax costatum Pellegr. & Vuillet stem bark hydroethanolic extract. This plant is a traditional medicinal plant utilized in central-eastern of Burkina Faso for neurological and mental disorders such as insomnia, hallucinations, dementia, and behavioral issues. Memory disorders, including amnesia and dementia, represent a major global health challenge, affecting over 55 million people worldwide with nearly 10 million new cases annually; in low- and middle-income countries like Burkina Faso, hey contribute significantly to disability and economic burden. Study Design: Experimental study involving in vivo behavioral assessment in mice and in vitro biochemical assays. Place and Duration of Study: Laboratoire de Biochimie et Chimie Appliquées (LABIOCA) and related laboratories at Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The study was conducted according to ethics committee guidelines (CE-UJKZ/2026-02). Method: We collected the stem bark of Bombax costatum, checked it, dried it, and then extracted it with 80% hydroethanol (50 g of powder in 400 mL of solvent, shaken for 48 hours). Female NMRI mice (n=6 per group) were given the extract by mouth at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight once a day for seven days. On the seventh day, scopolamine (0.7 mg/kg) was administered to induce amnesia. The Y-maze spontaneous alternation test was used to measure short-term spatial working memory. A modified Ellman method was used to test the inhibitory function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in brain homogenates. We tested the antioxidant's effectiveness using Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and DPPH free radical scavenging (IC₅₀ determination). We did a phytochemical analysis of triterpenoids using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) using Liebermann-Burchard reagents. The Bradford assay told us how much total protein there was. Results: The hydroethanolic extract (100 mg/kg) produced a slight, non-significant (p > 0.05) increase in spontaneous alternation percentage in the Y-maze test compared to scopolamine-treated controls (n=6/group), indicating modest improvement in short-term memory. It inhibited AChE activity by 23.7% and reduced thiocholine production by 18–24%. Antioxidant activity was strong: FRAP value of 59.84 ± 0.90 µmol ascorbic acid equivalent/100 mg extract; DPPH IC₅₀ of 0.071 µg/mL (comparable to quercetin at 0.066 µg/mL). TLC revealed the presence of the triterpenoid lupeol. Conclusion: The hydroethanolic extract of Bombax costatum bark shows moderate acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and strong antioxidant properties, justifying its use in traditional medicine for neurological disorders. The flavonoid- and lupeol-mediated effects suggest the potential of a naturally derived neuroprotective agent. Additional studies, including dose-response curves, the isolation of active compounds, and long-term models, are required to progress therapeutic development and encourage the sustainable conservation of this species in the Sudanese savanna.