14 research outputs found
Ethnobotanical survey of plants used in the treatment of typhoid and its complication(s) in Esan North East Local Government Area, Uromi, Edo State
Background: Medicinal plants played a key role in the health maintenance of local residents; an ethnobotanical survey might help to preserve the traditional information and knowledge on the medicinal uses of these plantsObjective: To obtain an inventory of major medicinal plants used traditionally for the management of typhoid fever and its associated illnesses from Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo state.Materials and methods: The use of semi-structured questionnaire was adopted to obtain relevant ethnomedicinal data. A total of seventy-one (71) questionnaires were administered to obtain ethnobotanical information on the plants used in the treatment of typhoid and its associated diseases such as dysentery, malaria, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea etc.Results: A total of 71 respondents (traditional healers, herb sellers, mothers, elders and others) in the communities were interviewed. Many of the respondents claimed to have inherited their knowledge of herbal treatment from their ancestors and training. The plants obtained were identified in Forest Herbarium Ibadan and Ambrose Alli University herbarium, Ekpoma. A total of forty-eight plants mentioned from thirty-three families were collected. These families include: Asteraceae, Rutaceae, Apocynaceae and others. Most of the recipes are used in combination for proper treatment of typhoid fever. Methods of administration were concoction, decoction, infusions and paste.Conclusion: Results from the survey reveals different herbs used in the treatment of typhoid and related diseases. The study further gives credence to ethnobotanical survey as relevant tool in natural product drug discovery and documentation.Keywords: Ethnobotanical survey, Typhoid, complicatio
In-vitro antibacterial screening of methanol extracts of three combretum species against seven strains of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Background: Medicinal plants are valued as sources of natural compounds some of which are effective against several infectious diseases. Plants from the genus Combretum have been used traditionally in various African societies to treat variety of medical problems especially infectious diseases.Objective: In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of the methanol extracts from the leaves of three Combretum species namely Combretum hispidum, Combretum racemosum and Combretum platypterum against seven strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro.Materials and methods: Methanol extract from bjected to agar diffusion assay and broth micro-dilution Combretum hispidum, Combretum racemosum and Combretum platypterum were subjected test for the determination of antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), all the extracts were tested against eight different strain of MRSA. Imipenem and ciprofloxacin were used as control.Results: Extract from Combretum racemosum leaves showed significant anti-MRSA activity with zone of inhibition as high as 37 mm and MIC values ranging from 0.16 - 1.25 mg/mL on all tested strains of MRSA. Extracts from the two other species did not exhibit any activity on all tested strain.Conclusion: Methanol extract from C. racemosum is highly effective against MRSA and it could be a potential source of newer antimicrobial agent against MRSA infectionsKeywords: Combretum species, Methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus, Anti-bacteri
Antioxidant properties, macro and micro elements of selected edible vegetables
Background: Many green leafy vegetables (GLV) have been shown to have significant antioxidant activity which may be an important property of medicinal plants associated with the treatment of several diseases. Trace element plays a crucial role in the medicinal value of a plant, in health and to cure disease. They play a nutritive, catalytic and balancing function in plants and animals, since animals easily consume these minerals through food.Objective: The aim of this work is to quantify the macro and trace elements present in these vegetables in order to determine their contribution to the daily dietary requirement and also determine those element that are present in excess of their maximum dietary allowance.Methodology: The elemental composition and antioxidant activities of ten common edible vegetables obtain from a market in Ibadan, Nigeria were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy and DPPH radical scavenging assay.Result: Three macro elements and seven trace elements were determined. The vegetables samples were found to contain trace elements such as manganese, iron, copper, cobalt, chromium (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Co, Cr). Telfaria occidentalis, one of the most widely eaten vegetables has the best profile for macro elements with a concentration of 364.2±1.1 mg/g for Ca, 55.4±1.3 mg/g for Mn and 365.6±0.3 mg/g for K. It also had a concentration of 1185.0±0.8 mg/g for Fe.Conclusion: Only one of the vegetables was found to accumulate lead in excess of maximum daily intake. All vegetables were found to be rich in many of the essential elements and all vegetables exhibited varying degree of antioxidant capacity with Gnetum africanum (Gnetaceae) having the highest radical scavenging activity of 14.58 ± 1.8 μg/mL .Keywords: Macro elements, Trace elements, DPPH radical scavenging, Edible vegetabl
Radical Scavenging Activity, Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay and HPLC Analysis of Methanol Extracts of Secamone afzelii
Background: Medicinal plants produce several phytochemicals with strong free radical scavenging activities. Objectives: To evaluate radical scavenging activity, brine shrimp toxicity and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the methanol extracts of Secamone afzelii (SA) leaves and Ceiba pentandra (CP) stem-bark.Materials and methods: The leaves of SA and CP stem-bark were extracted with methanol and the total phenolic content (TPC) of the extracts was determined and expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). The extracts were evaluated for their nitric oxide scavenging activity, antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, toxicity using brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) and phytochemical constituents using HPLC. Results: The TPC in SA extract was 21.26±1.29 while that of CP extract was 95.31±8.71 mg GAE. The SA and CP extracts showed antioxidant activity by DPPH with IC50 of 97.60 and 22.35 μg/mL as compared to ascorbic acid (1.4±0.34) and gallic acid (2.8±0.78) Similarly, the extracts showed nitric oxide scavenging activity of 22.50±1.3 and 5.40±0.3 µg/mL respectively compared to gallic acid with IC50 value of 1.1±0.1 µg/mL. In BSLA, SA extract had LC50 value of >1000 μg/mL while CP extract and Cyclophosphamide (standard) had LC50 value of <1000 μg/mL. HPLC analysis suggested that 8-β-L-arabinofuranosyl-6-β-D-glucopyranosylapigenin, kaempferol-3-0-glucoside, kaempferol-3-O-(6''-malonyl-glucoside), kampferol-3-O-rhamnoglucoside and palitantin were the major components in SA extract while the major components in CP extract were lateritin/beauvericin, procyanidin B2, pavetannin, (-)-catechin and genistein-8-C-glucoside .Conclusion: The results demonstrate the free radical scavenging properties of SA and CP extracts which could be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds
Plants used in treatment of five cancers in two Local Government Areas in southwest Nigerian ethnomedicine
An ethnomedicinal survey of plants used in the folkloric treatment and management of cancer was conducted in Southwest Nigeria in two local government areas (LGAs), namely: Adamasingba (North-West) and Ogbomoso (South) in Oyo State, Nigeria. Thirty-one respondents made up of traditional medical practitioners (TMP), herbalists, elders in the communities and herb sellers were interviewed orally through the use of semi-structured questionnaires. Demographic data collected on the respondents and ethnomedicinal information obtained on the plants included plant species, families, local names and plant parts used, forms of application and method of administration. The use-mentions index (UMi) was calculated for each plant. The information on the questionnaire revealed that the age of the respondents ranged between 21-65 years. Twenty-five were males (81 %), while six (19 %) were females. Eighty seven (87) plant species belonging to 57 families were mentioned as traditional remedies for the treatment of the five different cancers in the study areas. Caesalpiniaceae was the most dominant family with 7 species. This was followed by Meliaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Annonaceae, Mimosoideae and Moraceae with 4 species each. The most frequently mentioned plants in the recipies proffered by respondents were Aframmomum melegueta and Dysphania ambrosioides with an UMi of 0.129. The study provides an inventory of Southwest Nigerian plants that have anti-cancer potential and could be investigated as cancer chemotherapeutic agents.Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Anticancer plants, Southwest Nigeri
Radical scavenging and cytotoxicity evaluation of eight extracts of Citrus limon and Citrus aurantifolia
Cancer is a global cause of death characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and spread of abnormal cells. Eight extracts composed of the leaf, stem bark, seeds and juice of each of Citrus limon and C. aurantifolia were subjected to in vitro antioxidant assay using DPPH, brine shrimp lethality bioassay (BSL) and cytotoxicity MTT colorimetric assay using human cancer cell lines. Extracts of C. aurantifolia stem bark and leaf had IC50 of 28.2±0.11 and 47.2±0.39μg/mL, respectively and displayed better radical scavenging activity compared to the other extracts, Ascorbic acid, the reference drug, had an IC50 of 9.2±0.14 μg/mL. Citrus limon stem bark (LC50=10.0±0.33) and C. limon leaf (LC50= 5.0±0.74 μg/mL) extracts were observed to be strongly cytotoxic compared to cyclophosphamide (LC50=98.76±0.15 μg/mL), while the other extracts were either non, weakly, or moderately toxic in BSL assay. Citrus aurantifolia leaf extract (CC50=4.02±2.85 μg/mL, CC50=5.45±2.8 μg/mL) retained a comparable cytotoxicity to cyclophosphamide (CC50=2.23±0.14 μg/ mL, CC50=2.66±0.8 μg/mL) on Rd and Hep-2c human cancer cell lines, respectively. The other extracts exhibited varying degrees of cytotoxicity. This study demonstrated that the extracts of both Citrus species had weak DPPH radical scavenging activity. Citrus aurantifolia leaf extract displayed potent toxicity in BSL assay and on the two human cancer cell lines; Rd and Hep-2c used in the study and were selective to cancer cells than the normal cell, Vero.Keywords: Citrus limon, Citrus aurantifolia, DPPH Antioxidant, Brine Shrimp Lethality, Human cancer cell line
Antiprotozoal investigation of three Combretum species (Combretaceae) growing in Nigeria
Introduction: Combretum species has been utilised for decades in African indigenous medical practices for the treatment of several parasitic infections.
Objectives: This study aims at investigating the antileishmanial, antiplasmodial and antitrypanosomal properties of Combretum racemosum, Combretum platypterum and Combretum zenkeri.
Methods: The leaf extracts of the plants were screened against two strains of Plasmodium falciparum using Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay; promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania donovani; and Trypanosoma brucei brucei using Alamar Blue assay. Cytotoxicity screening were also carried out on African green monkey kidney cell line (Vero) and human monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cell lines.
Results: C. racemosum was active against chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) strains of P. falciparum (IC50 of 25.6 and 26.7 µg/ml, respectively) and exerted significant antiprotozoal activities against T. brucei brucei (IC50 = 18.44 µg/ml). The extract of C. platypterum displayed a slightly lower antiplasmodial activity when compared to C. racemosum, while C. zenkeri was inactive against the parasites.
In addition, the extracts failed to display significant inhibitory activity on the proliferation of L. donovani.
Conclusions: This study supports the ethnomedicinal use of C. racemosum. Further research needs to be carried out to identify the antiprotozoal compounds in C. racemosum, as this could be explored for possible antiprotozoal drug development
Antiprotozoal investigation of three Combretum
Introduction: Combretum species has been utilised for decades in African indigenous medical practices for the treatment of several parasitic infections.
Objectives: This study aims at investigating the antileishmanial, antiplasmodial and antitrypanosomal properties of Combretum racemosum, Combretum platypterum and Combretum zenkeri.
Methods: The leaf extracts of the plants were screened against two strains of Plasmodium falciparum using Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay; promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania donovani; and Trypanosoma brucei brucei using Alamar Blue assay. Cytotoxicity screening were also carried out on African green monkey kidney cell line (Vero) and human monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cell lines.
Results: C. racemosum was active against chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) strains of P. falciparum (IC50 of 25.6 and 26.7 µg/ml, respectively) and exerted significant antiprotozoal activities against T. brucei brucei (IC50 = 18.44 µg/ml). The extract of C. platypterum displayed a slightly lower antiplasmodial activity when compared to C. racemosum, while C. zenkeri was inactive against the parasites.
In addition, the extracts failed to display significant inhibitory activity on the proliferation of L. donovani.
Conclusions: This study supports the ethnomedicinal use of C. racemosum. Further research needs to be carried out to identify the antiprotozoal compounds in C. racemosum, as this could be explored for possible antiprotozoal drug development
Ethnobotanical Survey of Plants used for Cancer Treatment in Akinyele Local Government of Ibadan, Nigeria and Preliminary Cytotoxic Activity of Selected Plants
Background: In Nigerian ethnomedicine, a few anticancer constituents of medicinal plant of natural products have been reported in the literature. Although several traditional medical practitioners (TMPs) have claimed to have managed this disease with plants that have been in existence from ancient times.Objective: This study aimed at the documentation and validation of plants that are commonly used in the treatment of cancer in Akinyele Local Government of Oyo State, Nigeria.Materials and methods: Focus-Group discussion and administration of semi-structured questionnaires were used to discover the practice of traditional medicine using plants. The methanol extracts of the commonly cited plants were then screened for cytotoxicity using the Brine shrimp lethality (BSL) and in vitro [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Two cancer (Rhabdomyosarcoma; RD and cervical; Hep-2C) and normal (Vero) cell lines were used for the screening of the extracts.Results: A total number of 45 Traditional Medical Practitioners and herb sellers were recruited for this study, 26 different plants were recorded with their local names and parts used for therapeutic preparation. Two plant extracts; Aframomum melegueta and Strophanthus hispidus were found to be active against the cancer cell lines and selective to normal cell line used.Conclusion: Some of the plants had cytotoxic properties on the cancer cell lines which supports the claims of the Traditional Medicinal Practitioners. However, the non-selectivity of some plants to normal cells could be a great threat to the cancer patients being treated
Cajachalcone: An Antimalarial Compound from Cajanus cajan Leaf Extract
noCajanus cajan L, a member of the family Fabaceae, was identified from the Nigerian antimalarial ethnobotany as possessing antimalarial properties. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the crude methanol extract of C. cajan leaves was done in vitro using the multiresistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum (K1) in the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. Isolation of compound was achieved by a combination of chromatographic techniques, while the structure of the compound was elucidated by spectroscopy. This led to the identification of a cajachalcone, 2′,6′-dihydroxy-4-methoxy chalcone, as the biologically active constituent from the ethyl acetate fraction. Cajachalcone had an IC50 value of 2.0 μg/mL (7.4 μM) and could be a lead for anti-malarial drug discovery