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Background:In Togo, malaria constitutes a major public health problem but, until now, the population still mostly relies on herbal medicine for healing. This study aimed to document medicinal plants used for malaria therapy in the Plateau region of the country.Methodology:Semi-structured questionnaire interviews were used to gather ethnobotanical and sociodemographic data from traditional healers of the study area.Results:A total of 61 plants species belonging to 33 families were found to be in use for malaria therapy in the Plateau region. Caesalpiniaceae were the most represented family with 7 species, followed by Euphorbiaceae and Poaceae with 4 species each. According to the relative frequency of citation (RFC), Newbouldia laevis Seem. (RFC =0.52), Sarcocephalus latifolius (Sm.) E.A. Bruce (RFC =0.48), Acanthospermum hispidum DC. (RFC =0.43), and Senna siamea (Lam.) H.S. Irwin and Barneby (RFC =0.40) were the most cited in the treatment of malaria in the traditional medicine in the Plateau region. The parts of plants used could either be the barks, roots, leaves, or whole plants. The recipes also could be a combination of various species of plants or plant parts.Conclusion:This study highlights the potential sources for the development of new antimalarial drugs from indigenous medicinal plants found in the Plateau region of Togo. Such results could be a starting point for in vitro antimalarial screenings.SUMMARY 61 plants species from 33 families are use for malaria therapy in the Plateau region of TogoThe main families are Caesalpiniaceae Euphorbiaceae and PoaceaeThe most used species are Newbouldia laevis Seem. (RFC = 0.52), Sarcocephalus latifolius (Sm.) E.A. Bruce (RFC = 0.48), Acanthospermum hispidum DC. (RFC = 0.43), and Senna siamea (Lam.) H.S. Irwin and Barneby (RFC = 0.40) Abbreviations Used: RFC: Relative frequency of citation, FC: Frequency of citation, Dec: Decoction, Orl: Oral route, Mac: Maceration, Jui: Juice, Inf: Infusion, Sau: Sauce, Kne: Kneading, Le: Leaves, Rt: Roots, Wp: Whole plant, St: Stem, Stb: Stem bark, Rh: Rhizome, Fr: Fruits, Pf: Plasmodium falciparum, IC50: Concentration of extract killing 50% parasites

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases in modern societies and there is evidence that its incidence and severity are increasing. This survey was conducted to investigate the plants used by the Togolese traditional healers to treat the disease. Method: From January to June 2016, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire with traditional healers (TH) in the southern region of Togo. The importance of the plants was assessed by the calculation of the use value (UV). Results: In Total, 128 TH male and female were interviewed and 116 plants species belonging to 46 families were identified as treating hypertension. The most represented families were: Fabaceae with 16 species followed by Euphorbiaceae and Rutaceae contributing with 8 and 6 species respectively. Based on the calculated use values the most important species were Byrsocarpus coccineus Schum. The leaves and the roots were the parts of plant predominantly used to prepare the recipes, mainly decoctions administrated by oral route. Clinical manifestations such as dizzy spells, swarming, loss of consciousness, severe headache, severe anxiety and shortness of breath, nosebleed, and fear of heights were used by TH to diagnose the disease. Conclusion: This study showed initial evidence of the use of plant materials by Togolese TH to treat hypertension. These results constitute a database for pharmacological screenings with the aim of developing new therapies.

Background: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in modern society and it is evident that its incidence and severity are increasing, however very little is known about the plants used in the management of the disease. This study therefore aimed to document the plants usage in the Togolese traditional medicine to treat asthma. Methodology: From January to June 2015, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire with traditional healers (THs) in the southern region of Togo. The importance of the plants species was assessed by the calculated use values. Results: In Total, 121 THs (92 males and 29 females) were interviewed and 98 plants species belonging to 54 families were identified as curing asthma. The most represented families were: Leguminosae with 7 species followed by Euphorbiaceae and Rutaceae contributing with 6 and 5 species respectively. Based on the calculated use values the most important species were Carcica papaya L., Cataranthus roseus L., Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., Piper guineense Thonn., Eucalyptus citriodora Hook., Eucalyptus globules Labill. and Euphorbia hirta L. The leaves and the root were the parts predominantly used to prepare the formulations, mainly decoctions, administrated by oral route. Clinical manifestations such as wheezing (91.74%), difficulty as speaking or coughing (73.55%), dyspnea (66.94%), dry cough (52.89%), sweating and increased heart rate (52.07%) were used by TH to diagnose the disease. Conclusion: This study showed initial evidence of the use of plant materials by Togolese TH to heal asthma. These results could be a starting point for laboratory screenings.

Background: Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth., Securidaca longepedunculata Fresn and Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlt are three plants widely used in the Togolese traditional medicine to treat microbial infections. Some studies reported their antibacterial activity alone but until know there no data concerning their possible interaction with conventional antibiotics. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of the association of the crude extracts of the three plants with some conventional antibiotics. We further evaluate the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts on rat's model. Materials and methods:The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the broth microdilution assay and the Fractional inhibitory concentrations (FIC) determined by the checkerboard method. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using the Carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. The antioxidant activities and the phenol contents were determined by spectrophotometry. Results: The MICs of hydroethanolic extract of plants ranged from 3.125 to 100 mg/mL on Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Synergistic action was observed only with the combination of Imipenem/P. dulce, imipenem/C. sanguinolenta, amikacin/P. dulce and amikacin/C. sanguinolenta against the ESBL negative Klebsiella pneumoniae strain. Of the 21 associations, 15 were antagonistic on the ESBL-producing strains. The indifference effect was observed with the combination of the extract of Securidaca longepedunculata and the following antibiotics imipenem, amikacin, tetracyclin, ciprofloxacin, Cefotaxim; and Sulfametoxazol+Trimethoprim. The in vitro anti-inflammatory with Lipoxygenase inhibition activity was best with C. sanguinolenta extract while the in vivo paw edema model revealed that S. longepedunculata was the highest reducer of paw edema. In addition white blood cells count and biochemical parameters such as total proteins and immunoglobulins were significantly affected by the administration of plant extracts. Conclusion: This study revealed that the three plants although they may inhibit the bacterial growth by themselves, but there is also a possible synergistic action with the commercial antibiotics. Further investigations are needed to identify the active compounds and their mechanism of action.