Antistaphylococcal effects of alcoholic extracts of Tetrapleura tetraptera (Schum and Thonn.) (Taub.) against multidrug methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogen causing life-threatening hospital and community-acquired infections with high morbidity and mortality rates requiring constant vigilance.Aim: This study aimed at investigating the antistaphylococcal effects of Tetrapleura tetraptera against different strains of multidrug methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) to indicate the need for its use in ethnomedicine in addition to its fruits being used in traditional medicine.Methods: In this study, the susceptibilities of S. aureus were investigated using multi-disc antibiotics and extracts of T. tetraptera by agar diffusion and macrobroth dilution methods.Settings: While attention has been focused on the fruits of this plant, it is necessary to investigate the pharmacological importance of its stem bark.Results: The antibiogram showed that 70% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. Nitrofurantoin and gentamicin antibiotics were the most effective whilst amoxicillin and augumentin were the least effective. The susceptibility of the isolates was concentration dependent as inhibition zones decreased with decrease in the concentrations of each of the extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of acetone extract ranged between 0.019 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL whilst the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) ranged between 0.3125 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL. The MICs of the methanol extract ranged between 0.039 mg/mL and 5.0 mg/mL whilst the MBCs ranged between 0.3125 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL. Both extracts were more bactericidal than being bacteriostatic against all the isolates. The methanol extract was more active than the acetone extract as indicated by the varied inhibition zones and MICs obtained from the different extracts.Conclusion: This study revealed the great therapeutic potentials of T. tetraptera and validated its use in ethnomedicine and would be effective in the treatment of multidrug and MRSA infections.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry chemical profile investigation and biological activities of ethylacetate fraction of Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) pulp used in the treatment of urinary tract infections

Background: As a result of high percentage of women infected with urinary tract infection (UTI) annually, many rural dwellers use Adansonia digitata fruit pulp as herbal cure. Adansonia digitata L. (Malvaceae) is one of the great trees idolised in Africa because of its therapeutic properties.Aim: This study aimed at identifying chemical compounds in the ethylacetate fraction of the baobab fruit pulp and indicated their biological activities to justify its use for the folkloric treatment of UTI.Methods: The crude extract from Baobab fruit pulp was partitioned and ethylacetate extract was used for assay. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis was performed to identify the bioactive compounds in the ethylacetate fraction, antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays whilst the total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by already adopted protocols. The antibacterial properties were tested against some urinary tract pathogens using macro broth dilution method.Results: A total of 36 bioactive compounds were identified by GC–MS analysis, most of them have been reported as antibacterial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiasthma, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents. The extract exhibited highest activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 19582 (1.22 mg/mL) whilst Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 (˃ 8.6 mg/mL) displayed high level of resistance amongst the five bacterial isolates used in this study.Conclusion: These findings indicated that the extract contained bioactive compounds of therapeutic importance with significant antioxidant and antibacterial potentials and justify the folkloric use of this fruit in the treatment of UTIs by many African dwellers.

Acknowledgements to reviewers

No abstract available.

Ethnoveterinary survey of plants used for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep at three agro-ecological zones in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Background: With exception of the desert biome, all of South Africa’s biomes occur in the Eastern Cape. The province is known to have high numbers of livestock that are mostly found in communal farming areas. Multi-drug resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes against major classes of conventional anthelmintics and the high cost of synthetic drugs calls for an urgent search for different control strategies of nematodes.Aim: A survey was conducted to identify and document plant species used to control gastrointestinal nematodes of livestock in Ciko, Goso and Upper Ngqumeya communities in the Eastern Cape Province.Setting: The study included filed observations and transect walks, as well as a standardized questionnaire given to 48 sheep farmers.Methodology: Forty-eight livestock farmers including men and women of mixed ages were interviewed. The information was obtained through the use of a structured questionnaire, field observations and transect walks. Data generated were analysed using descriptive statistics with frequency of citation (FC) and relative frequency of citation (RFC) as quantitative.Results: A total of 11 plant species from different genera were reportedly available and used to control gastrointestinal nematodes. Aloe ferox (0.67) and Zanthoxylum capense (0.44) had the highest values of RFC followed by Strychnos henningsii (0.23) and Elaphantorhhiza elephantine (0.21) and were widely known by the people of the study areas. The three most frequently used plant parts were leaves, roots and bark accounting for about 36.4%, 27.3% and 27.3%, respectively. The ethnoveterinary medicines were prepared in the form of decoctions and infusions. Oral administration of the concoctions was the only route of administration. The major constraints of sheep production as perceived by the farmers were prevalence of internal (36%) and external parasites (18.1%). All medicinal plants used were native and collected from the wild. The most dominant life forms were trees (45.4%), followed by herbs (36.4%) and shrubs (18.2%). Homestead expansion was ranked as the major threat (26%) to medicinal plants followed by firewood (21%). In-situ (protection through rangers) was the most frequently mentioned (67%) conservation practice used by farmers to protect the loss of medicinal plants followed by ex-situ (33%).Conclusion: In the light of data gathered on the surveyed plants, it appeared the plants play a role in the healthcare of sheep in rural communities. Further studies are required to analyse the plants for their chemical composition and biological properties.

Corrigendum: Antioxidant assessment of characterised essential oils from Calophyllum inophyllum Linn using 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl and hydrogen peroxide methods

No abstract available.

Ethnomedicinal survey of indigenous medicinal plants in Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

Background: Indigenous knowledge is progressively fading out because of a lack of proper record-keeping, as the knowledge is transmitted verbally. There is, therefore, a dire need for preserving this valuable knowledge by ensuring proper documentation and sharing of traditional knowledge.Aim: This research study sought to explore the indigenous knowledge used by herbal medicine practitioners for treating various human ailments in Jos Metropolis of Plateau State, Nigeria.Setting: The study was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to 100 registered traditional healers in Jos North LGA of Plateau State.Methods: Selected medicinal plants were collected, pressed and transported to the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan for identification, authentication and deposition of voucher specimens for voucher number at FRIN herbarium, Ibadan. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the ethnomedicinal data.Results: Thirty-nine plant species, distributed in 33 families and 39 genera, were cited by the respondents. The Fabaceae was the most represented family, followed by the Euphorbiaceae and Myrtaceae. Leaves were the most used plant part (29%), whilstthe most cited plant habit forms include trees (48%) and herbs (31%). The herbal remedies were mostly administered orally (53%) and topically (26%), whilst the most common method of preparation was decoction (42%). The highest consensus factor (1.00) was detected for chickenpox or measles or leprosy, haemorrhoids and sickle cell ailments.Conclusion: There is an existence of a wide gap in traditional healing knowledge between the elderly and the younger generations in the study area. The high fidelity level observed in this study implied a general acceptance and preferred usage of such herbal plants for the treatment of particular ailments.

Effect of water deficits on the growth and secondary metabolites of Salvia dolomitica Codd. and Salvia namaensis Schinz

Background: Salvia dolomitica Codd. and Salvia namaensis Schinz. are indigenous to southern Africa and are used as medicinal plants in folk medicine.Aim: This study aimed to assess the effects of different levels of water deficit treatments on the growth, concentration of secondary metabolites, and anti-Fusarium oxysporum activity of S. dolomitica and S. namaensis.Setting: Experiments were carried out on the Bellville campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town.Methods: Four weeks old seedlings of the two species were subjected to 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-day water deficit regimes. Secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, alkaloids, and flavanols were assessed using spectroscopic methods. The anti-fungal activities of crude extracts obtained from plants were evaluated in a micro-dilution bioassay.Results: In all treatments, the plant height, crown width, number of stems and leaves, and fresh and dry weights reduced with increased water deficits. Acetone extracts from all treatments showed anti-fungal activity. However, extracts from the treatment with moderate water deficit (6-day watering interval) recorded significantly (P 0.01) better inhibition of F. oxysporum at the 18 h post incubation than the commercial fungicide, Mancozeb.Conclusion: This research has revealed that mild to moderate water deficit level favours the accumulation of alkaloids in S. dolomitica. Meanwhile, mild to severe water deficit significantly lowered flavanol content in S. namaensis. There was a correlation between the increase in total alkaloid contents and the enhanced anti-fungal activity of extracts of S. dolomitica. The present findings pave the way for optimised cultivation of medicinal plants and development of bioactive natural products.

Erratum: Acute and sub-acute toxicity of the crude extracts of the aerial parts of Daucus carota L. in laboratory rats

No abstract available.