Research Article Journal of Natural Product Research and Applications (JNPRA) Home page : https://journals.univ-tlemcen.dz/JNPRA/index.php/JNPRA Powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-Herpes and anticancer capacities of Thymelaea microphylla L. and TLC phenolic identification Rim BEN MANSOUR 1 , Feten CHAOUACHI 1,2 , Hanen FALLEH 1 , André PICHETTE 2 , Jean LEGAULT 2 , Riadh KSOURI 1,* 1 Laboratoire des Plantes Aromatiques et Médicinales, Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj-Cédria (CBBC), BP 901, 2050 Hammam–Lif, Tunisia 2 Laboratoire LASEVE, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555, Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada G7H 2B1 * Corresponding author : Tél.: +216 79325855; Fax: +216 79 325638; E-mail address: ksouririadh@gmail.com Highlights ➢ Thymelaea microphylla is an edible and medicinal species with a powerful antioxidant activity ➢ T. microphylla fractions exhibited prominent anti-proliferative activities against cancer cells especially A-549 cells ➢ T. microphylla fractions showed no cytotoxicity on normal fibroblast WS-1. ➢ T. microphylla methanolic fraction was the most active on the herpes virus and on its adsorption. ➢ Phenolics, terpenoids and saponins were the major classes of secondary metabolites in T. microphylla fractions Graphical Abstract Methanolic shoot extract Hex, DCM and MeOH fractions: anti-proliferative activities against cancer cells No cytotoxicity on fibroblast DCM: high anti- inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7 cells Thymelaea microphylla Fractionation TPC=30.65 mg of GAE/g DW TFC=27.52 mg of CE/g DW DPPH test (IC 50 = 3.2 μg/ml) Water fraction Hex fraction DCM fraction MeOH fraction Phenolics, terpenoids and saponins were the major classes of secondary metabolites TLC analysis MeOH fraction the most active against HSV-1 propagation soxhlet apparatus In vivo assays A-549 cells WS-1 RAW 264.7 cells Vero cells