MICROBIAL LOAD AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTY OF TWO NIGERIAN HERBAL REMEDIES

The use of herbal remedies had increased significantly in the last one decade in Nigeria. This has led to the production of herbal products with bogus claims. The microbial quality and antibacterial properties of two Nigerian herbal remedies with such claimed efficacy of curing all manners of microbial diseases were assessed. The herbal remedies were discovered to be contaminated with the following microorganisms: Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus cereus, Basidiobotrytis sp, Oedocephalum sp, Varicosporium sp and Articulospora inflata. Antibacterial analysis using the killing rate revealed that the herbal remedies had bacteriostatic and not bacteriocidal effect. Qualitative phytochemical screening of the herbal remedies revealed the presence of saponin, tannins, alkaloids, anthraquinone and cardiac glycosides which suggest possible antimicrobial effect. However, the presence of microbial contaminants in the herbal remedies suggests that they may serve as source of infection to end users

Antibacterial Property and Bioactive Compounds of Selected Herbal Products

Ten herbal products, made up of five powdery and five liquid samples of different brands, were assessed microbiologically for the presence and types of microorganisms. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of the samples above was also conducted to verify the presence or absence of bioactive components. Ten bacterial species, viz: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Clostridium botulinum, were isolated from these herbal products. The fungi isolated were Aspergillus Niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium oxysporium, and Mucor racemosus. Results of phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, and tannins. Alkaloid was the most abundant in the samples, with a value of 1070.04 mg/100g in sample F, while the least abundant in sample F was phenol (0.38 mg/100g). The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of certain compounds such as thiophene, propanoic acid, 2,2-dimethyl-, ethyl ester, pentanoic acid, 2-methyl, toluene, and many others in sample F that exhibited significant antimicrobial effects. These compounds are known to possess antimicrobial properties. Results from this study revealed that, though these herbal products contain bioactive compounds with potential antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, they are contaminated with microorganisms of health importance. Hence, local herbalists preparing these herbal products need to be educated on good manufacturing practices (GMP).   Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2022-04-04-03 Full Text: PD

Bioconversion of Some Agricultural Wastes and Associated Enzymes by Trametes species: A Wild Mushroom

The ability of Trametes speciesto degrade readily available agricultural wastes with associated enzymes under submerged fermentation was the aim of the study. Tissue culture technique was employed in obtaining active mycelium of the mushroom from its fresh fruiting body. Proximate analysis of the agricultural wastes after fermentation revealed that the percentage protein and moisture contents increased while the fat, crude fiber, ash and carbohydrate contents decreased. Analysis of the mineral contents of the wastes revealed a reduction with fermentation. Several types of agro-industrial wastes were evaluated as substrates for enzymes production by Trametes speciesin comparison to commercial substrates (control). The composition of the wastes was observed to affect the quantity as well as the activity of the enzymes assayed. Wheat bran had higher cellulase activity of 236.66?mol/min/mL between 48 and 72 h of fermentation

Medicinal Uses Of Mushrooms In Nigeria: Towards Full And Sustainable Exploitation

For centuries, mushrooms have been appreciated as sources of food nutrients and pharmacologically important compounds useful in medicine. Yet not all the medicinal properties of mushrooms have been exploited. The above statement is more pertinent to mushrooms that are indigenous to Nigeria. There are inadequate data on the identity and medicinal properties of these wild mushrooms. Information on the ethnomedicinal uses of some mushrooms such as Pleurotus tuber-regium used for headache, stomach pain fever, cold, constipation; Lentinus squarullosus for mumps, heart diseases; Termitomyces microcarpus for gonorrhea; Calvatia cyathiformis for leucorrhea, barreness; Ganoderma lucidum for treating arthritis, neoplasia; G. resinaceum used for hyperglycemia, liver diseases (hepatoprotector); G. applanatum used as antioxidant and for diabetes had been gathered through survey. The above information is mostly obtained from traditional herbalists who in most cases will not disclose their preparation compositions. A lot of these mushrooms are obtained only in the wild. Scientific documents of the identities and medicinal properties are still scanty. Preliminary studies on some species of Temitomyces, Lenzites and Lentinus species showed that they possess appreciable antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Moreover, molecular characterization also reveals that they are not 100% homologous with existing sequences under the same name in GenBank. It is therefore pertinent that well structured studies on their ecology, identification and medicinal uses be carried out. This will make the full exploitation of the medicinal potentials of mushrooms indigenous to Nigeria realizable

Anticandidal Effect of Extracts of Wild Polypore, Trametes elegans, on Candida Species Isolated from Pregnant Women in Selected Hospitals in Southwest Nigeria

Aim: Considering the significance of candidiasis among pregnant women, the study was designed to investigate the anticandidal effect of extracts of Trametes elegans (Spreng: Fr.) Fr. (fam.: Polyporaceae) against Candida species isolated from pregnant women and to screen for the phytochemical constituents of the crude extract of T. elegans. Place and Duration of Study: Candida species were isolated from 132 high vaginal swabs (HVS) collected from pregnant women attending ten selected hospitals in Ondo, Osun and Oyo States, Nigeria. Methods: Extracts of Trametes elegans was prepared with methanol, acetone and n-hexane. Phytochemical screening of the macrofungus extracts were thereafter performed qualitatively and quantitatively. The isolated Candida species were subjected to antifungal assay to determine the anticandidal efficacy of the macrofungus extracts. Results: A total of 67 Candida isolates were obtained from the patients. The prevalent organisms were C. albicans (49/67, 73.13%), C. glabrata (9/67, 13.43%), C. krusei (6/67, 8.96%) and C. tropicalis (3/67, 4.48%). Methanol gave the highest yield (3.4 mg/g), while n-hexane gave the least (0.7 mg/g). All the extracts contained saponin, tannin, steroid, terpenoid and cardiac glycosides, while flavonoid was only found in acetone extracts. Saponin was highest (31.77 mg/g) while flavonoid content was least (1.65 mg/g). Zones of inhibition ranging from 5.00 to 30.00 mm, 4.00 to 15.67 mm and 4.33 to 17.67 mm were produced by methanol, acetone and n-hexane extracts respectively. Methanol extract of T. elegans produced the highest anticandidal activity with an inhibition zone of 30.00 mm against isolate A3 (C. albicans.) The least inhibition zone (4.00 mm) was recorded with acetone extract of T. elegans against isolate A2. Conclusion: The high anticandidal activity exhibited by mushroom extracts suggests that bioactive compounds from these mushrooms could be developed into antifungal agents for the treatment of candidiasis

Fermentation Studies on Roselle (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) Calyces Neutralised with Trona

The effect of trona on the fermentation of roselle calyces was evaluated. The addition of trona to the calyces raised the initial pH from 3.3 to 5.3. The important microorganisms of roselle calyces fermentation were enumerated, isolated and identified. The fungi isolated consist of one yeast identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and two moulds, Apergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. Of the aerobic bacteria, only Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Klebsiella sp. were isolated. The total titratable acid (TTA) value increased throughout the fermentation (0.027-0.043). The nutritional evaluation showed that there was an increase in the protein (6.56%), lipid (4.25%) and carbohydrate contents (74.33%) of the fermented sample with a higher ash content (4.54%) in the unfermented sample. The mineral contents (PPM); Zn (31.86), Fe (12.35), Mg (132.00), Ca (294.31), Na (214.62) and K (382.13) of the fermented sample were generally low. This study reveals that trona can be used to neutralize the acid in roselle calyx and that fermentation can greatly influence the nutritional composition positively. Keywords: Roselle, calyces, Trona, nutritional evaluation, fermentation J Food Tech in Africa (2002) 7, 75-7