Anti-poliovirus activity of medicinal plants selected from the Nigerian ethno-medicine

This study was carried out to validate acclaimed anti-poliovirus effect of crude methanol extracts from 14 medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Southwest Nigeria. Plant samples were powdered and extracted by cold maceration into absolute methanol and maximum non toxic concentration (MNTC) of each plant extract to rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells was determined in tissue culture. Using serial twofold dilution of the MNTC (specific for each extract), ability of extract to inhibit viral-induced cell death (CPE) in tissue culture was evaluated three days post-infection by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assays. 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) was determined by statistical analysis. Selective index was calculated as ratio of CC50 to IC50. Out of the 14 plant extracts evaluated for anti-poliovirus activity, Senna siamea (Lamk.) Irwin et Barneby (bark extract) and Zephyranthes candida Lindl (whole plant) demonstrated significant in vitro activity with IC50 of 0.0019 and 0.121 μg/mL, respectively. Bioassay-guided fractionation of extracts indicated that activities were retained in chloroform fraction of Z. candida, and also in hexane and chloroform fractions of S. siamea, but none of the polar fractions were active. These results support the traditional use of S. siamea and Z. candida as antiviral agents and suggest that they could provide a possible source for anti-poliovirus drug discovery and development.Keywords: Anti-poliovirus activity, traditional medicine, MTT colorimetric assayAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(24), pp. 3878-388

Phytochemical and Antibacterial properties of parkia biglobosa nd parkia bigolor leaf extracts

The comparative studies of different extracts of the leaves of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq) Benth and Parkia bicolor A. Chev (Mimosaceae) with respect to their photochemical and antimicrobial properties was carried out. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed that both plants had similar constituents namely cardiac glycosides, steroids, tannins and alkaloids. The thin layer chromatography of the hexane and ethanol extracts of both plants were also investigated and two of the components of the ethanol extracts of both plants were found to display similar properties. The antimicrobial screening of the hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and water extracts of both plant leaves were done using standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Esherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger and Candida utilis. The ethyl acetate, ethanol and water extracts exhibited a concentration dependent antibacterial, inhibiting the growth of the gram-positive bacteria used in the study. Extracts of P. bicolor were slightly more active than those of P. biglobosa

Traditional Management of Tuberculosis in Ogun State of Nigeria: The Practice and Ethnobotanical Survey

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted on plants used traditionally for the management of tuberculosis in five local government areas of Ogun State, Nigeria, in a bid to document herbs used in the management of tuberculosis with the aim of identifying possible drug lead from the phytomedicine of these communities. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain the required information on the use of herbal remedies for the management. A total of 50 respondents made up of herbalists (40.0%), herb sellers (52.0%) and traditional medicine practitioners (8.0%) were interviewed in the study. The dominant age of respondents was in the range of 21–40 years (72.0%). Duration of treatment of tuberculosis with herbs was between 2–12 weeks. A total of 36 plants belonging to 20 families were proffered for the management of tuberculosis. Eighty four percent (42%) of the 50 respondents interviewed said that their clients observed no side effects and that the herbs were either available in the forest or purchased from the markets. Cola acumminata (fruit), Garcinia kola (leaf), Vitallaria parodoxa (oil), Costus afer (stem), Pycnanthus angolensis (stem bark) and Aframomum melegueta (fruit) were the most frequently mentioned herbs. The ethnomedicines of the studied areas of Ogun State, Nigeria seem to have a high potential as a source of drug discovery of anti-tuberculosis. This is of utmost importance because people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are susceptible to tuberculosis