In vitro anthelmintic, antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of extracts from plants used in South African ethnoveterinary medicine

Many plants are used for ethnoveterinary purposes in South Africa, particularly in rural areas. Extracts of 17 plant species employed to treat infectious diseases were prepared using three solvents and the antibacterial activity of the extracts was determined against two Gram-positive and two Gram-n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The veterinary journal (1997) 2007-03, Vol.173 (2), p.366-372
Main Authors: McGaw, L.J., Van der Merwe, D., Eloff, J.N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal health
Animals
Anthelmintic
anthelmintics
Anthelmintics - pharmacology
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Antibacterial
antibacterial properties
Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology
Artemia
Artemia - drug effects
Bacteria - drug effects
bioassays
Brine shrimp
Caenorhabditis elegans
Cytotoxicity
ethnobotany
Ethnoveterinary medicine
Lethal Dose 50
medicinal plants
medicinal properties
Medicine, African Traditional
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
minimum inhibitory concentration
Nematoda - drug effects
plant extracts
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
rural areas
South Africa
traditional medicine
veterinary drugs
Veterinary Medicine - methods
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Summary:Many plants are used for ethnoveterinary purposes in South Africa, particularly in rural areas. Extracts of 17 plant species employed to treat infectious diseases were prepared using three solvents and the antibacterial activity of the extracts was determined against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacteria. Anthelmintic activity was evaluated against the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and toxicity was determined using the brine shrimp larval mortality test. Most of the plant extracts demonstrated antibacterial activity, with the best minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) being 0.1 mg mL −1. More than a third of the extracts displayed anthelmintic activity. Toxic effects against brine shrimp larvae were shown by 30% of extracts, with the lowest LC 50 recorded as 0.6 mg mL −1. The promising biological activity displayed by a number of plant extracts supports the ethnoveterinary use of these plants but in vivo tests are required to ascertain fully their medicinal properties and potential toxicity.
ISSN:1090-0233
1532-2971
DOI:10.1016/j.tvjl.2005.09.004