- Title
- Pharmacological Evaluation and Medicinal Potential of Vachellia Karroo (Hayne) Banfi & Galasso Pods traditionally used to treat Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- Creator
- Maposa, Sandisiwe
- Subject
- Medicinal plants
- Date Issued
- 2019
- Date
- 2019
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MSc
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10353/14583
- Identifier
- vital:40017
- Description
- Vachellia karroo is widely used in folk medicine in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa, however, the pods are usually discarded as waste. The current study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemical content and the antioxidant activity of V. karroo pods. The pods were extracted using acetone, distilled water, hexane and methanol. The total phenol, flavonoid, proanthocyanidin, alkaloid and saponin contents of the various extracts were determined spectrometrically and antioxidant activity was evaluated using inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2´-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), nitric oxide (NO) radicals, while total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was estimated by the phosphomolybdenum assay. V. karro pods had significant amounts of total phenols, flavonoids and proanthocynadin, although, proanthocynadin was not detected in the aqueous and hexane extracts. Methanol and acetone extracts showed higher phenolic, proanthocynadin and flavonoids contents (52.47 ± 6.82 and 29.31 ± 1.49), (334.8±85.1 and 231.22 ±1.80),(288±4.26 & 208.2±17.7) compared to the aqueous and hexane extracts. The alkaloid and saponin contents were 26.67 and 12.85 % respectively. The IC50 values of the methanol extract for DPPH, ABTS and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were 0.345, 0.017 and 0.116 mg/mL, respectively. Methanol extract of V. karroo pod showed higher polyphenolic content of all the extracts analysed with corresponding strong free radical scavenging potential. These underutilized pods could serve as a new source of antioxidant compounds which could help in combating various ailments. The great antioxidant activity displayed by V. karroo pods extract supports the therapeutic use of this plant in traditional medicine and are attributed to the phytochemical content.The current information suggests that extracts from Vachellia karroo pods might be a ix cheap potential source of natural antioxidants that could be of great importance for the treatment of free radical related diseases. Furthermore, it makes a case for the utilization of the pods instead of discarding them as waste materials. The evaluation of antimicrobial potential of Vachellia karroo extracts was carried out using agar dilution assay against 8 bacterial strains-4 gram-positive [ Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Staphylococcus aureus (OK), Bacillus subtilis KZN, Bacillus cereus, and Streptococcus pyogenes] and 4 gram-negative strains[ Vibrio cholera, Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC 4352), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 19582), Salmonella typhi (OK) ]. Six fungal isolates[ Trichophyton mucoides ATCC 201382, Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), Candida glabatra, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillum aurantiogriseum] were usedor antifungal assessment. The methanol extract exhibited broad-spectrum activity, with Gram-positive strains being more sensitive than Gram-negative strains. The extracts also showed great inhibition against Candida albicans the fungal isolate responsible for causing candidiasis in women. Since the pods showed promising antimicrobial activity, they could serve as a cheap source for the treatment and management of these sexually transmitted infections. The brine shrimp toxicity test revealed successful hatching of the cysts was in the order: Aqueous extract> methanol extract> hexane extract> acetone extract. The hatching of nauplii was in a concentration dependent fashion, with hatching success decreasing with increase in concentration of extracts. Lethality of extracts determined based on Meyerʼs index of toxicity, showed that the acetone and hexane extracts of V. karroo were moderately toxic. The results of this study indicated that aqueous and methanolic extracts of Vachellia karroo pods were not toxic, therefore supporting its traditional therapeutic usage. This implies that rather than discard x the pods as is waste as it being currently done, Vachellia karroo pods could be salvaged and processed along with the leaves, thus reducing environmental pollution. Proximate parameters (moisture, ash, crude fibre, crude fat, proteins, and carbohydrate) were evaluated using ALASA methods, and elemental analysis by ICP-OES technique. Nutritional analysis showed that V. karroo pods had low content of crude fat and high content of crude fibre, ash, crude protein, and carbohydrate sufficient to meet the recommended dietary allowances. The pods were rich in major minerals Ca, K, P and Mg, with sufficient amount of trace elements Na, Fe, Zn, and Cu. The outcome of this study suggests that Vachellia karroo pods have good nutritional potentials to support or complement the recommended dietary allowance and could be a cheap source of essential nutrients that could help in ameliorating most nutritional challenges as well as contribute remarkably to the amount of nutrient intake in human and animal diets.
- Format
- 107 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- University of Fort Hare
- Publisher
- Faculty of Science and Agriculture
- Language
- English
- Rights
- University of Fort Hare
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Msc. Dissertation Maposa S..pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |