An investigation into the antibacterial activites of medicinal plants traditionally used in the Eastern Cape to treat lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients
- Authors: Wilson, Katherine Leigh
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10985 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/242 , Medicinal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are very serious and are usually fatal. Prolonged antibiotic treatment can result in the development of antibiotic resistance. Thus, studies are required to determine if traditional medicinal plants have any significant effects (i.e. antibacterial effects in this case) on certain bacteria causing lung infections in CF patients, providing possible alternative treatment. The aim of this study was to test the effects of several Eastern Cape medicinal plants on specific bacteria causing lung infections in CF patients, for possible antibacterial activities. Four plants traditionally used to treat lung infections (Artemisia afra, Dodonaea angustifolia, Leonotis leonurus & Tulbaghia violacea), and different strains of four bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas species & Klebsiella pneumoniae), usually causing lung infections were investigated. Methanol, aqueous and acetone extraction methods were used to make extracts of the various plants chosen. A decoction of each plant was also investigated. An adapted microtitre plate method for testing the antibacterial activity of the plant extracts against the chosen bacteria was used. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each plant extract was determined by means of this method.
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- Date Issued: 2004
Biological activities of medicinal plants traditionally used to treat Septicaemia in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Chinyama, Robert Fred
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Medicinal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Herbs -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10119 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1274 , Materia medica, Vegetable -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Medicinal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Herbs -- Therapeutic use -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Over the past 25 years, there has been a resurgence of worldwide scientific research in the fields of ethnopharmacology. The Western world has acknowledged the continued use of traditional medicines by the majority of third world countries, and the need for novel drug development. Hence, much of the pharmaceutical research in recent years has focused on the ethnobotanical approach to drug discovery (Light et al., 2005). In South Africa, as in most developing parts of the world, traditional herbal medicine still forms the backbone of rural healthcare. The government health services in South Africa provide only western medical care although the majority of the population consult traditional healers for some or all of their healthcare needs (McGaw et al., 2005). Medicinal plants like Harpephyllum caffrum are used as blood purifiers or emetics (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962), and also for treating acne and eczema. The antimicrobial activity of this plant can be used to treat septicaemia, which is ranked the sixth leading cause of death among neonates and the eighth leading cause of death for infants through the first year of life (Heron, 2007). In this study, the plants investigated for antimicrobial activity were Harpephyllum caffrum, Hermannia cuneifolia, Chironia baccifera, Rhigozum obovatum, Felicia muricata and Pentzia incana. These plants were tested against ATTC (American Type Culture Collection) strains and microorganisms isolated from clinical isolates of patients suffering from septicaemia. The assay methods used included the agar diffusion method using the Mast multipoint inoculator, the microtitre dilution method were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration, thin layer chromatography fingerprints accompanied by bioautographic assay were used to detect the inhibition of bacterial growth by active compounds separated from plant extracts and the Ames test was required to assess the possibility of bacterial mutagenesis upon the exposure to plant extracts which can lead to carcinogenicity. In agar diffusion method, extracts of Harpephyllum caffrum inhibited nine strains of Candida albicans, three species of Acinetobacter and four strains of E.faecalis. Extracts of Hermannia cuneifolia inhibited four strains of B.cereus and three strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Extracts of Chironia baccifera inhibited one strain of Acinetobacter and five strains of E.faecalis. Extracts of plants Rhigozum obovatum, Felicia muricata, and Pentzia incana showed no antimicrobial activity. In the microtitre dilution method used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), the results were different from the agar diffusion method. More activity was observed. Extracts of Harpephyllum caffrum inhibited three strains of E.coli, six strains of S.aureus, three species of Acinetobacter and one strain of Klebsiella pneumonia. Extracts of Hermannia cuneifolia inhibited four strains of B.cereus, three strains of S.aureus, two strains of K.oxytoca and one species of Acinetobacter. Extracts of Chironia baccifera inhibited three strains of S.aureus, one strain of MRSA, one species of Acinetobacter and one strain of S.haemolyticus. The MIC values ranged from 0.049 to 6.25mg/ml. Using the thin layer chromatography fingerprints, bioautography showed the presence of various inhibitory chemical compounds. Methanol and acetone extracts of Harpephyllum caffrum, separated very well and showed various inhibition zones on exposure to Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. The different inhibition zones were recorded as Rf In the Ames test (Maron and Ames, 1983) the methanol and acetone extracts of Harpephyllum caffrum and Hermannia cuneifolia were negative which means they were devoid of any mutagenic properties. Methanol extracts of Harpephyllum caffrum showed similar results in the Ames assay as reported by Verschaeve and Van Staden (2008). values ranging from 0.25 to 0.95. The zones indicate the different inhibiting chemical compounds present in the plant. Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, chloroform and formic acid were the solvents used in the assay in the ratio 8:7:5:1, respectively. Establishing the antimicrobial activity of these plants contribute to the systematic scientific investigation of indigenous South African medicinal plants.
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- Date Issued: 2009
Phytochemical analysis and biological activity studies of an Eastern Cape medicinal plant, Strychnos Henningsii
- Authors: Mngoma, Mondeli
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Medicinal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22758 , vital:30074
- Description: This project sees the chemical investigation of an Eastern Cape medicinal plant, Strychnos henningsii. The aim of this project was to investigate the phytoconstituents and activity of organic extracts of S. henningsii as well as isolation and characterization of single compounds. S. henningsii is one of the most widely used tree bark in the Eastern Cape in treating a variety of ailments. Evaluation of the traditional herbal use of the S. henningsii bark was warranted. Both the ethyl acetate and methanol extract proved to possess non-toxic properties and showed cell growth potential at low concentrations. The anti-inflammatory response of both extracts showed appreciable results, and they did not promote inflammatory due to the alkaloidal presence. Although the extracts both showed the presence of phenols, the anti-oxidant capacity by DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC assays was considerately lower than expected. The ethyl acetate extract presented a compound thought to be a terpenoid (4.1). Three compounds were isolated from the methanol extract; two alkaloidal compounds and one acrylate. The alkaloids were isolated from the methanol extract, stryvomicine (4.2) and an isovomicine derivative (4.3). Their structures were deduced from NMR (1D and 2D experiments) and HRMS spectra. This acrylate was found to be 3-(4-methylphenyl)acrylic acid via single-crystal XRD, and this is the first report of it being isolated from the Strychnos genus. Profiling of S. henningsii was performed via Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectroscopy. Other spectroscopic techniques utilised in the interpretation of isolated compounds included Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Infrared, single-crystal X-Ray Diffraction and High Resolution Mass spectroscopy.
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- Date Issued: 2018