Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Toxicological Aspects of Capparis erythrocarpos Isert.: A Review

Capparis erythrocarpos is a shrub plant with a large natural distribution used in traditional medicines to cure various illnesses. The study sought to review and compile all data available on this medicinally important plant, which will help inform scientists and researchers the gap needed to be filled in studying the plant. The present review summarizes information concerning the ethnopharmacology, morphology, phytochemistry, toxicology and biological activities of C. erythrocarpos. Scientific databases such as NCBI/PubMed, Google scholar, Sci finder, Science direct were searched for published article on the plant. The active phytochemicals; flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phytosterols, glycosides, tannins, coumarins and saponins have been identified from various parts of the plant. Pharmacological and biological studies on the plant have revealed its antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, anti-diabetic and anti-dyslipidemia activities, with no reported toxic effect. It is recommended that future studies should focus on identification, separation, purification and quantification of the most bioactive constituents of C. erythrocarpos due to the paucity of information in this area

Medicinal Uses of Cassia Sieberiana; A Review

Ethnomedicinal importance: Cassia sieberiana, mostly found in Africa has been used in traditional medicine as purgative, diuretic, analgesic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory agent and many others for decades. This review focusses on discussions about its traditional therapeutic benefits, Ethnopharmacological studies, pharmacological, toxicological and phytochemical relevance. Materials and Methods: Electronic database such as PubMed, SciFinder, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Excerpta database and Springer were used in the search for filtered investigations on Cassia sieberiana. Results: The results from the various studies on Cassia sieberiana gave a detailed understanding of its constituents which serves as evidence for its therapeutic and safety importance as well as a source of novel compounds with therapeutic effects. Conclusion: This review on Cassia sieberiana is significant not only in providing a comprehensive data for continuous research but also will show untapped areas in the research on Cassia sieberiana

Medicinal Plants for Treatment of Prevalent Diseases

This chapter focuses on reviewing publications on medicinal plants used in the treatment of common diseases such as malaria, cholera, pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma. Traditional medicine is still recognized as the preferred primary health care system in many rural communities, due to a number of reasons including affordability and effectiveness. The review concentrated on current literature on medicinal plants, highlighting on information about ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology. The search for publications on medicinal plants with scientifically proven efficacy was carried out using electronic databases such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, SciFinder and PubMed. In all, about 46 species of different families with potent biological and pharmacological activities were reviewed. All the plants reviewed exhibited potent activity confirming their various traditional uses and their ability to treat prevalent diseases

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanomaterial from Cassia sieberiana and determination of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities

Utilization of plant extracts for the synthesis of nanomaterials is a green technology that is safe to the environment. In the current study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was synthesised using the methanolic root bark extract of Cassia sieberiana as capping and stabilizing agents for the first time. The ZnO NPs were then characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of the nanoparticles were analyzed by egg albumin (EA) denaturation assay and DPPH free radical scavenging assay respectively. The agar well diffusion method was also used to access the antimicrobial activity of the ZnO NPs against S. aureus (gram-positive), E. coli (gram-negative), S. typhi (gram-negative) and C. albicans (yeast). Saponins, anthracenosides, triterpenes and polyphenols were the phytochemicals present in the plant extract. The average particle size (TEM) determined was 12.9 ± 3.1 nm with spherical shapes. ZnO NPs demonstrated good antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.480 ± 0.018 mg mL−1) and dose-dependently inhibited the heat-induced denaturation of egg albumin (IC50 = 0.676 ± 0.000 mg mL−1). In general, the synthesized ZnO NPs showed a positive anti-microbial activity against the selected microbes. The ZnO NPs showed a significant zone of inhibition for S. typhi (20.0 mm), S. aureus (24.0 mm), whereas the zone of inhibition was less for E. coli (13.7 mm) and C. albicans (11.7 mm) at 25 mg/mL. The green synthesized ZnO NPs may be used as an effective drug delivery system

Assessment of the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial properties of Tapinanthus bangwensis leaves hosted by the branches of Persea americana

Abstract Background Medicinal plants represent a valuable source for new effective and safe antimicrobial drugs making them an alternative therapy. Existing antimicrobial agents are costly and mostly associated with possible side effects. The aim of the present study therefore, was to assess the antimicrobial property and phytochemical composition of hydroethanolic extract of Tapinanthus bangwensis leaves and its fractions. Method T. bangwensis leaves (harvested from its host plant, Persea americana) was extracted by cold maceration with 70% ethanol and further fractionated with different organic solvents using the solvent partitioning method to obtain the crude extract, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and the resulting aqueous fractions. The phytochemical constituents of the extracts were screened and quantified. Also, the TLC of the extracts were analyzed to serve as a fingerprint. Using the agar diffusion and broth dilution methods, the antimicrobial properties of the extracts were assessed. Results The study showed that the hydroethanolic (70%) crude extract of T. bangwensis leaves and its fractions contain phenolic compounds, flavonoids, saponins, phytosterols and reducing sugars. The phytoconstituents were well extracted into the ethyl acetate fraction than the other fractions evidenced in the high levels (p < 0.0001) of saponins (66.47 ± 1.72% w/w), phenolic compounds (77.75 ± 1.06 mg/100 mg GAE) and flavonoids (44.34 ± 0.06 mg/100 mg QE) contents. From the antimicrobial studies, all the microorganisms tested exhibited varying degrees of susceptibility to the extracts with MIC values between 0.78 to 12.5 mg/mL. The crude extract of T. bangwensis leaves, its ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions also exhibited lethal antimicrobial activity with MLC between 6.25 to 50 mg/mL. Conclusion The crude extract of T. bangwensis leaves and its fractions demonstrated antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Candida albicans, thereby representing a potential source of natural antimicrobial agent. Further study is required to identify and isolate antimicrobial compounds from the plant for the development of the natural bioactive antimicrobial agents