Preliminary screening of some traditional zulu medicinal plants for anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 1999-12, Vol.68 (1), p.267-274
• Main Authors: Lin, J, Opoku, A.R, Geheeb-Keller, M, Hutchings, A.D, Terblanche, S.E, K. Jäger, A, van Staden, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Anti-inflammatory activity; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anti-microbial activity; Biological and medical sciences; Candida albicans - drug effects; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors - pharmacology; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical - methods; General pharmacology; Gram-Negative Bacteria - drug effects; Gram-Positive Bacteria - drug effects; In Vitro Techniques; Medical sciences; Medicinal plants; Medicine, Traditional; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Prostaglandins - biosynthesis; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - drug effects; Solubility; South Africa; traditional medicine; Vitaceae; Zulu
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(99)00130-0

Aqueous and methanolic extracts from different parts of nine traditional Zulu medicinal plants, of the Vitaceae from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were evaluated for therapeutic potential as anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agents. Of the twenty-nine crude extracts assayed for prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, only five methanolic extracts of Cyphostemma natalitium-root, Rhoicissus digitata-leaf , R. rhomboidea-root, R. tomentosa-leaf/stem and R. tridentata-root showed significant inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase (COX-1). The extracts of R. digitata-leaf and of R. rhomboidea-root exhibited the highest inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis with 53 and 56%, respectively. The results suggest that Rhoicissus digitata leaves and of Rhoicissus rhomboidea roots may have the potential to be used as anti-inflammatory agents. All the screened plant extracts showed some degrees of anti-microbial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. The methanolic extracts of C. natalitium-stem and root, R. rhomboidea-root, and R. tomentosa-leaf/stem, showed different anti-microbial activities against almost all micro-organisms tested. Generally, these plant extracts inhibited the Gram-positive micro-organisms more than the Gram-negative ones. Several plant extracts inhibited the growth of Candida albicans while only one plant extract showed inhibitory activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. All the plant extracts which demonstrated good anti-inflammatory activities also showed better inhibitory activity against Candida albicans.