Mosquito Larvicidal Constituents from Lantana Viburnoides SP Viburnoides Var Kisi (A. rich) Verdc (Verbenaceae).

\ud \ud Lantana viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi is used in Tanzania ethnobotanically to repel mosquitoes as well as in traditional medicine for stomach ache relief. Bioassay-guided fractionation and subtraction bioassays of the dichloromethane extract of the root barks were carried out in order to identify the bioactive components for controlling Anopheles gambiae s.s. mosquito larvae. Twenty late III or early IV instar larvae of An. gambiae s.s. were exposed to various concentrations of the plant extracts, fractions, blends and pure compounds, and were assayed in the laboratory by using the protocol of WHO 1996. Mean mortalities were compared using Dunnett's test (p < 0.05) and lethal concentration calculated by Lackfit Inversel of the SAS programme. The crude extract (LC50 = 7.70 ppm in 72 h) and fractions exhibited different level of mosquito larvicidal activity with subtraction of some fractions resulting in activity enhancement. The active fractions contained furanonaphthaquinones regio-isomers (LC50 = 5.48-5.70 ppm in 72 h) and the lantadene triterpenoid camaric acid (LC50 = 6.19 ppm in 72 h) as active principles while the lupane triterpenoid betulinic acid (LC50 < 10 ppm in 72 h) was obtained from the least active fraction. Crude extracts and some fractions had higher or comparable larvicidal activity to the pure compounds. These results demonstrate that L. viburnoides sp viburnoides var kisi extracts may serve as larvicides for managing various mosquito habitats even in their semi-purified form. The isolated compounds can be used as distinct markers in the active extracts or plant materials belonging to the genus Lantana

Constituents of the Essential Oil of Suregada zanzibariensis Leaves are Repellent to the Mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.s.

In traditional African communities, repellent volatiles from certain plants generated by direct burning or by thermal expulsion have played an important role in protecting households against vectors of malaria and other diseases. Previous research on volatile constituents of plants has shown that some are good sources of potent mosquito repellents. In this bioprospecting initiative, the essential oil of leaves of the tree, Suregada zanzibariensis Verdc. (Angiospermae: Euphobiaceae) was tested against the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.s. Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) and found to be repellent. Gas chromatography (GC), GC-linked mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and, where possible, GC-co-injections with authentic compounds, led to the identification of about 34 compounds in the essential oil. About 56% of the constituents were terpenoid ketones, mostly methyl ketones. Phenylacetaldehyde (14.4%), artemisia ketone (10.1%), (1S)-(-)-verbenone (12.1%) and geranyl acetone (9.4%) were the main constituents. Apart from phenylacetaldehyde, repellent activities of the other main constituents were higher than that of the essential oil. The blends of the main constituents in proportions found in the essential oil were more repellent to An. gambiae s.s. than was the parent oil (p < 0.05), and the presence of artemisia ketone in the blend caused a significant increase in the repellency of the resulting blend. These results suggested that blends of some terpenoid ketones can serve as effective An. gambiae s.s. mosquito repellents

Use of traditional medicines in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections in Tanzania: a case in the Bukoba rural district

Kisangau DP, Lyaruu HVM, Hosea KM, Joseph CC. Use of traditional medicines in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections in Tanzania: a case in the Bukoba rural district. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2007;3(1): 29.Background: Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out to document herbal remedies used in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections in Bukoba Rural district, Tanzania. The district is currently an epicenter of HIV/AIDS and although over 90% of the population in the district relies on traditional medicines to manage the disease, this knowledge is impressionistic and not well documented. The HIV/AIDS opportunistic conditions considered during the study were Tuberculosis (TB), Herpes zoster (Shingles), Herpes simplex (Genital herpes), Oral candidiasis and Cryptococcal meningitis. Other symptomatic but undefined conditions considered were skin rashes and chronic diarrhea. Methods: An open-ended semi-structured questionnaire was used in collecting field information. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the ethnobotanical data collected. Factor of informant consensus (Fic) was used to analyze the ethnobotanical importance of the plants. Results: In the present study, 75 plant species belonging to 66 genera and 41 families were found to be used to treat one or more HIV/AIDS related infections in the district. The study revealed that TB and oral candidiasis were the most common manifestations of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections affecting most of the population in the area. It unveils the first detailed account of ethnomedical documentation of plants focusing the management of HIV/AIDS related infections in the district. Conclusion: It is concluded that the ethnopharmacological information reported forms a basis for further research to identify and isolate bioactive constituents that can be developed to drugs for the management of the HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections

Screening of Tanzanian medicinal plants for anti-Candida activity

BACKGROUND: Candida albicans has become resistant to the already limited, toxic and expensive anti-Candida agents available in the market. These factors necessitate the search for new anti-fungal agents. METHODS: Sixty-three plant extracts, from 56 Tanzanian plant species obtained through the literature and interviews with traditional healers, were evaluated for anti-Candida activity. Aqueous methanolic extracts were screened for anti-Candida activity by bioautography agar overlay method, using a standard strain of Candida albicans (ATCC 90028). RESULTS: Twenty- seven (48%) out of the 56 plants were found to be active. Extracts of the root barks of Albizia anthelmintica and Balanites aegyptiaca, and roots of Plectranthus barbatus showed strong activity. CONCLUSION: The extracts that showed strong anti-Candida activity are worth of further investigation in order to isolate and identify the active compounds

Traditional Knowledge, Use Practices and Conservation of Medicinal Plants for HIV/AIDS Care in Rural Tanzania

researchHIV/AIDS pandemic is currently the most socio-economic challenge that faces Tanzania as it affects mostly the young and most economically productive population. People living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania are susceptible to fungal and bacterial opportunistic infections, which are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the country. Despite the government’s intervention to provide ARVs to people living with HIV/AIDS, many of them especially those living in the rural areas can neither afford them due to poverty nor access them due to distance to health centers. Moreover, resistance of opportunistic microbial pathogens to conventional medicines and the serious side effects associated with antiretroviral drugs are also a major drawback to the management of HIV/AIDS in the country. Due to these factors, many people opt to use of traditional medicines. This paper highlights the use and conservation of herbal remedies to manage HIV/AIDS pandemic in Tanzania. Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out in Bukoba Rural District to explore the traditional ethno-medical knowledge, the use and conservation of medicinal plants in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections and to determine whether levels of harvesting are sustainable. The district is currently an epicenter of HIV/AIDS and although over 90% of the population in the district relies on traditional medicines to manage the disease, this traditional knowledge still remains largely unknown. Seventyfive plant species belonging to 66 genera and 40 families were found to be used to treat one or more HIV/AIDS related diseases in the district. Eight plant species were tested in-vitro for their antifungal activity against three major fungal pathogens, Candida albicans (C.P. Robin) Berkhout, Cryptococcus neoformans (San Felice) Vuill., and Aspergillus niger Tiegh. Three of them were further tested in-vivo for their anti-Candida activity. With decreasing natural stocks of medicinal plants, and based on the results, this study further provides concrete recommendations for the conservation of these important non-timber forest products and the region’s medicinal plant biodiversity

Screening of traditionally used Tanzanian medicinal plants for antifungal activity

Kisangau DP, Hosea KM, Lyaruu HVM, et al. Screening of traditionally used Tanzanian medicinal plants for antifungal activity. PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY. 2009;47(8):708-716.Fungal infections represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality especially in immunocompromised patients in the world today. Dichloromethane (DM) and aqueous (W) extracts of nine plants used traditionally for the treatment of fungal infections in Bukoba rural district in Tanzania were screened for antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus niger using agar well and disk diffusion methods. Dichloromethane extracts of Capparis erythrocorpos [CE] Isert (Capparaceae), Cussonia arborea [CA] Hochst. Ex A. Rich (Araliaceae), Drocaena steudneri [DS] Engl. (Dracaenaceae), Lannea schimperi [LS] (A. Rich) Engl. (Anacardiaceae), Rouvolfia vomitoria [RV] Afz (Apocynaceae), and Sapium ellipticum [SE] (Krauss) Pax (Euphorbiaceae) showed activity against all three fungi. Extracts of Rumex usambarensis [RU] (Dammer) Dammer (Polygonaceae) and Zehneria scabro [ZS] (L.f.) Sond. (Cucurbitaceae) had an activity limited to only one or two of the test organisms. Rhoicissus tridentata [RT] (L.Q Wild & Drum (Vitaceae) was the only plant without activity. Fractions of the active extracts CE, CA, DS, LS, and SE exhibited higher antifungal activity against one or more of the three fungi. Four compounds isolated from S. ellipticum also exhibited antifungal activity against one or more of the three fungi. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs), determined using the microplate assay method, ranged between 0.4 and 50.0 mu g/mL for crude extracts, 1.6 and 50.0 mu g/mL for semi-purified fractions, and 0.12 and 1.0 mu g/mL for pure compounds, as compared to 0.016-1.5 mu g/mL for fluconazole. We confirm the potential of traditionally used plants as a source of new drugs for treatment of fungal infections