Evaluation of the wound healing activity of formulated ointments and water preparation from Sida rhombifolia leaf extract

Background: Several plants including Sida rhombifolia Linn. (Malvaceae) which are said to be used by traditional health practitioners in Tanzania for wound treatment have not yet been evaluated. The objective of this study was to investigate the ointment formulation of S. rhombifolia leaves for its potential wound healing activities.Methods: Wound healing activity of S. rhombifolia leaves was investigated in mice using 50%, 33% and 25% formulated 80% ethanolic leaves extract ointment and water preparations. Excisional and incisional wound-induction models were used with 6 albino mice in each group. The wound diameter (for contraction assessment), duration of re-epithelisation in days, percentage tensile strength as well as the degree of collagenisation and fibrosis were investigated.Results: S. rhombifolia leaves extract had significant mean percentage wound closure for all ointment formulations used and for the water preparation from day 7. A significant percentage tensile strength on day 10 for all formulations used was observed. The 50% ointment had a mean of 64.1±1.7 (p=1.2-09), 33% ointment had a mean of 64.0±3.2 (p=2.4-08) and the 25% ointment had a mean of 53.1±4.0 (p=1.3-06). A remarkable fibrosis and collagenisation for the 50% ointment and the water preparation was observed.Conclusion: The formulated ointments and the water preparations of S. rhombifolia leaves have a potential benefit in enhancing wound healing. A bioassay guided fractionation is recommended to allow identification of its active compound(s) with wound healing activity for drug development

Antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp toxicity of extracts of Terminalia brownii roots and stem

BACKGROUND: Ternimalia brownii Fresen (Combretaceae) is widely used in traditional medicine to treat bacterial, fungal and viral infections. There is a need to evaluate extracts of this plant in order to provide scientific proof for it's wide application in traditional medicine system. METHODS: Extraction of stem bark, wood and whole roots of T. brownii using solvents of increasing polarity, namely, Pet ether, dichloromethane, dichloromethane: methanol (1:1), methanol and aqua, respectively, afforded dry extracts. The extracts were tested for antifungal and antibacterial activity and for brine shrimp toxicity test. RESULTS: Extracts of the stem bark, wood and whole roots of T. brownii exhibited antibacterial activity against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, and Bacillus anthracis and the fungi, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Aqueous extracts exhibited the strongest activity against both bacteria and fungi. Extracts of the roots and stem bark exhibited relatively mild cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp larvae with LC(50 )values ranging from 113.75–4356.76 and 36.12–1458.81 μg/ml, respectively. The stem wood extracts exhibited the highest toxicity against the shrimps (LC(50 )values 2.58–14.88 μg/ml), while that of cyclophosphamide, a standard anticancer drug, was 16.33 (10.60–25.15) μg/ml. CONCLUSION: These test results support traditional medicinal use of, especially, aqueous extracts for the treatment of conditions such as diarrhea, and gonorrhea. The brine shrimp results depict the general trend among plants of the genus Terminalia, which are known to contain cytotoxic compounds such as hydrolysable tannins. These results warrant follow-up through bioassay-directed isolation of the active principles

Screening of Traditionally Used Plants for In Vivo Antimalarial Activity in Mice

Aqueous ethanol (80%) extracts of six plants used traditionally for treatment of malaria, Vepris glomerata (F.Hoffm.) Engl (Rutaceae), Maranthus floribunda (Bak.) F.White (Chrysobalanaceae), Strophanthus eminii Asch. & Pax ex Pax (Apocynaceae), Cassia abbreviata Oliv. (Leguminosae) and Caesalpinia bonducella L. Fleming (Fabaceae) were screened for antimalarial activity to establish validity of their claims. The extracts exhibited antimalarial activity in the 4-day Peter's suppressive antimalarial assay in mice inoculated with red blood cells parasitized with Plasmodium berghei. The extracts gave ID50 values of 42.8, 111.0, 639.3 and 1560 mg/kg body wt for C. bonducella, C. abbreviata, T. furialis and S. eminii, respectively. The ID50 values for V. glomerata and M. floribunda were above 2400 mg/kg body wt, above which point solubility was a problem. All the tested extracts were innocuous to the mice, up to 2400 mg/kg body wt, suggesting they may be safe for short-term use

In vivo antimalarial activity of extracts of Tanzanian medicinal plants used for the treatment of malaria

Plants used in traditional medicine have been the source of a number of currently used antimalarial medicines and continue to be a promising resource for the discovery of new classes of antimalarial compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo antimalarial activity of four plants; Erythrina schliebenii Harms, Holarrhena pubescens Buch-Ham, Phyllanthus nummulariifolius Poir, and Caesalpinia bonducella (L.) Flem used for treatment of malaria in Tanzania. In vivo antimalarial activity was assessed using the 4-day suppressive antimalarial assay. Mice were infected by injection via tail vein with 2 Χ 10 7 erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Extracts were administered orally, once daily, for a total of four daily doses from the day of infection. Chloroquine (10 mg/kg/day) and solvent (5 mL/kg/day) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The extracts of C. bonducella, E. schliebenii, H. pubescens, and P. nummulariifolius exhibited dose-dependent suppression of parasite growth in vivo in mice, with the highest suppression being by C. bonducella extract. While each of the plant extracts has potential to yield useful antimalarial compounds, the dichloromethane root extract of C. bonducella seems to be the most promising for isolation of active antimalarial compound(s). In vivo antimalarial activity presented in this study supports traditional uses of C. bonducella roots, E. schliebenii stem barks, H. pubescens roots, and P. nummulariifolius for treatment of malaria

Anticonvulsant Activity of Diospyros Fischeri Root Extracts

Diospyros fischeri Gurke (Ebenaceae) is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. Dichloromethane, ethylacetate, and ethanol extracts of the roots, at doses between 100 and 1600 mg/kg BW, inhibited convulsions induced by the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAa) receptor antagonist, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), in a dose dependent manner. The extracts also exhibited low toxicity against brine shrimps giving LC50 values between 45.4 and 95.4 µg/ml. These results provide evidence for the potential of D. fischeri extracts to treat absence seizures, especially given their seemingly innocuous nature

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

Brine Shrimp Toxicity Evaluation of Some Tanzanian Plants Used Traditionally for the Treatment of Fungal Infections

Plants which are used by traditional healers in Tanzania have been evaluated to obtain preliminary data of their toxicity using the brine shrimps test. The results indicate that 9 out of 44 plant species whose extracts were tested exhibited high toxicity with LC50 values below 20µg/ml. These include Aloe lateritia Engl. (Aloaceae) [19.1µg/ml], Cassia abbreviata Oliv. (Caesalpiniaceae) [12.7µg/ml], Croton scheffleri Pax (Euphorbiaceae) [13.7µg/ml], Hymenodactyon parvifolium Brig (Rubiaceae) [13.4µg/ml], Kigelia Africana L. (Bignoniaceae) [7.2µg/ml], and Ocimum suave Oliv. (Labiatae) [16.7µg/ml]. Twelve plants gave LC50 values between 21 and 50µg/ml, 11 plants gave LC50 values between 50 and 100 µg/ml, and 18 plants gave LC50 values greater than 100 µg/ml