Objectives: Many plants used in ethnomedicinal interventions have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-aging and anticancer activities attributed to their antioxidant properties. The antioxidant properties may be attributed to high polyphenol content of the plants. The Ilkisonko Maasai are a pastoralist community from Kenya known to ingest certain select plant decoctions for prevention or treatment of targeted illnesses. This study evaluated the antioxidant properties of organic and aqueous extracts of these select plants. Methods: The antioxidant potential was evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging method. Total phenolic and flavonoid content were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu's assay and aluminium chloride colorimetric test, respectively. Results: The organic extracts had significantly higher phenolic and flavonoid content than the aqueous extracts except for Pappea capensis in which the converse was observed. Among the studied plant extracts, Acacia nilotica had the highest phenolic content in the methanol and water extracts (237.26±1.83 mg and 149.66±0.60 mg tannic acid equivalent/g of extract) and the highest antioxidant activity in both the methanol and water extracts with an IC 50 of 54.61µg/mL and 102.96µg/mL, respectively. The standard, ascorbic acid, had an IC 50 of 50.32µg/mL. In both the methanol and water extracts, Acacia reficiens had the highest flavonoid content (130.62±1.78 and 99.80±1.73 mg catechin equivalents/g of extract, respectively). The correlation between the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity was statistically significant (Pearson's r=-0.841). Conclusion: This study found that select plants used by the Ilkisonko Maasai as medicinal plants exhibited high phenolic content and antioxidant activity, giving credence to their ethnomedicinal use.
Background Infectious diseases are a major global public health concern as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) currently accounts for more than 700,000 deaths per year worldwide. The emergence and spread of resistant bacterial pathogens remain a key challenge in antibacterial chemotherapy. This study aims to investigate the antibacterial activity of combined extracts of various Kenyan medicinal plants against selected microorganisms of medical significance. Methods The antibacterial activity of various extract combinations of Aloe secundiflora, Toddalia asiatica, Senna didymobotrya and Camelia sinensis against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus was assessed using the agar well diffusion and the minimum inhibitory concentration in-vitro assays. The checkerboard method was used to evaluate the interactions between the various extract combinations. ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s post hoc multiple comparison test was used to determine statistically significant differences in activity (P < 0.05). Results At concentrations of 100 mg/ml (10,000 µg/well), the different combinations of the aqueous, methanol, dichloromethane and petroleum ether extracts of the selected Kenyan medicinal plants revealed diverse activity against all the test bacteria. The combination of methanolic C. sinensis and A. secundiflora was the most active against E. coli (14.17 ± 0.22 mm, diameter of zones of inhibition (DZI); MIC 2500 µg/well). The combination of methanolic C. sinensis and S. didymobotrya was the most active against S. aureus (16.43 ± 0.10 mm; MIC 1250 µg/well), K. pneumonia (14.93 ± 0.35 mm, DZI; MIC 1250 µg/well), P. aeruginosa (17.22 ± 0.41 mm, DZI; MIC 156.25 µg/well) and MRSA (19.91 ± 0.31 mm, DZI; MIC 1250 µg/well). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of the different plant extract combinations ranged from 10,000 µg/ well to 156.25 µg/well. The ANOVA test indicated statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between single extracts and their combinations. The fractional inhibitory concentration indices (FICI) showed that the interactions were either synergistic (10.5%), additive (31.6%), indifferent (52.6%), or antagonistic (5.3%) for the selected combinations. Conclusion This study findings validate the ethnopractice of selectively combining medicinal plants in the management of some bacterial infections in traditional medicine.
Numerous limitations encountered with mainstream Western Medicine, including exorbitant costs, side effects, ineffectiveness and unavailability continue to endear many to alternative herbal therapies. The World Health Organization recognizes the rampant use of herbal medicine, stating that over 80% of the global population uses this form of therapy either alone or alongside conventional therapies. In Kenya, herbal medicine is popular, and, in this review, we share a situational analysis of the industry, taking note of the opportunities and challenges that it offers. Importantly, we provide, in our opinion, easy to implement and financially friendly approaches towards improving the safety and appeal of herbal medicine practice in the country. We anticipate that the Kenyan scenario is replicated elsewhere across the continent and that, therefore, these insights may be similarly applicable.
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