Biological activities of selected South African medicinal plants traditionally used to treat urinary tract infections
- Authors: Mathobela, Kegomoditswe Prudence
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Urinary tract infections -- Treatment , Anti-infective agents -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8059 , vital:24715
- Description: Plants have been an important part of medicine and since the existence of human beings; they have been used to cure a variety of ailments such as diarrhoea, wounds and sexually transmitted diseases. Far from being out-dated, the use of traditional medicinal plants plays a significant role in drug discovery and remains a source of medicine still used by many South Africans. Diseases of the urinary tract can be treated using traditional medicinal plants. Although most cases of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are acute and uncomplicated, a few cases do become chronic and complicated. Resistance of pathogens causing UTIs to antibiotics normally used for treatment is one of the reasons for infections developing into the chronic and complicated state. In this study, medicinal plants indigenous to South Africa and traditionally used to treat UTIs were investigated in vitro for antimicrobial activities against UTI-causing pathogens. The plants investigated were Bulbine latifolia, Eucomis autumnalis, Hypoxis hemerocallidea and Trichilia dregeana. American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) microbial strains together with clinical strains were tested against distilled water, methanol and acetone extracts of the plants. The microbial strains included Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The agar well diffusion method was used to screen for antimicrobial activity; the microtiter dilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration; and thin layer chromatography fingerprints to separate the mixtures of the extracts and determine the number of active compounds. The study also investigated the scientific rationale for the traditional use of plant combinations to treat diseases. Three plant combinations (1:1) were investigated for potential interactive properties, which were identified through the sum of the fractional inhibitory concentration index (ΣFIC) calculations. The plant combinations studied were Hypoxis hemerocallidea and Bulbine latifolia; Hypoxis hemerocallidea and Eucomis autumnalis; and Hypoxis hemerocallidea and Trichilia dregeana. In the study, more activity was observed in the microtiter dilution method as compared to the agar well diffusion method. This was true in both the studies of the plants independently and the combination studies. The independent plants displayed noteworthy MIC values (≤ 2 mg/ml) against E. coli, Kleb. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. The plant combinations studied did not show any synergistic interactions (ΣFIC ≤ 0.5). Only non-interactive (ΣFIC >1.0 - ≤4.0) and additive (ΣFIC >0.5-1.0) interactions were observed. The study contributes to the on-going investigation of antimicrobial activities of medicinal plants and highlights the need for further investigations on the synergistic interactions of the medicinal plants used in this study.
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- Date Issued: 2016
An investigation into the antimicrobial and anticancer activities of Geranium incanum, Artemisia afra and Artemisia absinthium
- Authors: Freidberg, Ryno
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Cancer -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa , Anti-infective agents
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10122 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1045 , Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Cancer -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa , Anti-infective agents
- Description: It has been estimated that between 3000 and 4000 plant species are used for their medicinal properties throughout South Africa, with approximately 27 million South Africans making use of traditional medicines. Of this 27 million, 3 million South Africans rely on traditional medicine as their primary source of health care. Of the 250 000 to 500 000 known plant species, very few have been investigated for their pharmacological qualities, and compounds of significant medicinal value may still remain undiscovered in many plant species. The aims of this study included investigating the antimicrobial properties of Geranium incanum and Artemisia afra, both plants traditionally used for their medicinal properties, and comparing the antimicrobial activity of the latter to that of Artemisia absinthium, as well as investigating the anticancer properties of G. incanum and A. afra, and comparing the anticancer activity of the latter to that of A. absinthium. Infusions, aqueous-, methanol- and acetone extracts of the three plants were prepared and used for anticancer and antimicrobial screening. Plant specimens used to prepare extracts for antimicrobial activity were collected and extracted over three seasons, while extracts used for anticancer screening were prepared from plants collected during the summer only. Considerable variation existed in the percentage crude extract yields obtained when different extractants were used, while the season in which the plants were harvested and extracted also appeared to play a significant role in the amount of extract obtained. The plant extracts were screened for antimicrobial activity against various strains of Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, using an agar dilution method. G. incanum and A. afra possessed activity for C. albicans, while all three plants showed activity for S. aureus and B. cereus. Activity was largely dependent on the extraction method used. iii The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to screen for anticancer activity of the respective extracts, at varying concentrations, against MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma) cells, HT-29 (human colonic adenocarcinoma) cells and HeLa (human cervical cancer) cells. All of the extracts showed cytotoxic activity in all three cell lines to varying extents, depending on the extract used and cell line screened. The acetone extract of A. afra proved to be the most effective inhibitor with the lowest IC50 (2.65 ± 1.05 μg/ml) having been shown in MCF-7 cells. A. afra and A. absinthium showed similar inhibitory patterns, with the methanol- and acetone extracts having been the most potent inhibitors of each of the respective cell lines in general. Fluorescence microscopy employing 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI) and propidium iodide (PI) staining indicated that the acetone extract of A. afra induces apoptosis in MCF-7 cells as apposed to necrosis, and the results were comparable to those obtained for cells exposed to cisplatin. Screening of the A. afra acetone extract for toxicity in normal human cells using the CellTiter-Blue® assay indicated the extract to be toxic to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC’s) at concentrations comparable to that for MCF-7 cells, while cell cycle analysis of MCF-7 cells exposed to the A. afra acetone extract indicated the extract’s ability to induce apoptosis comparable to that of cisplatin, with the extract exerting its activity at a point during or just prior to the S phase of the cell cycle.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Effect of a South African medicinal plant on antiretroviral drug induced abnormalities in rats
- Authors: Van Gend, Tania Anli
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Antiretroviral agents -- South Africa , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa , Rats as laboratory animals , Rats -- Metabolism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10121 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1080 , Medicinal plants -- South Africa , Antiretroviral agents -- South Africa , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Alternative treatment -- South Africa , Rats as laboratory animals , Rats -- Metabolism
- Description: The worldwide AIDS epidemic is known to have had a profoundly negative social, economic and personal impact and has taken a heavy toll on existing health care systems, particularly in developing countries. South Africa is experiencing an HIV epidemic with enormous social and economic consequences. Lopinavir/ritonavir antiretroviral treatment has been accredited with having a significantly positive effect and is a key advance in controlling HIV morbidity and mortality. An indigenous South African medicinal plant, Sutherlandia frutescens, known for its anti-diabetic properties and immune-boosting effects, is used for treating HIV positive patients suffering from opportunistic infections. Despite the use of the medicinal plant extract as homeotherapeutic medication, there is little evidence of toxicity testing that identifies its potential for interaction with antiretroviral drugs. However, scientific data relating to the mechanism through which Sutherlandia frutescens acts on the immune system has not been comprehensively documented. The aim of this study was to investigate lopinavir/ritonavir induced metabolic abnormalities in rats and whether the introduction of a plant extract of Sutherlandia frutescens would counteract the side effects of ARV medication. The results indicated that the rodents did not become insulin resistant, however, biochemical analysis indicated that extended ARV drug treatment would have caused insulin resistance. Significant morphological changes were found in the livers, kidneys and pancreases of rats exposed to the lopinavir/ritonavir. Rats exposed to the Sutherlandia frutescens plant extract showed improved histopathology with minimal abnormalities.
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- Date Issued: 2008