Medicinal plants with documented traditional uses remain an important source for the treatment of a wide range of ailments. Evidence shows that majority of the Ethiopian population are still dependent on traditional medicine. Aloe pulcherrima Gilbert & Sebsebe is one of the endemic Aloe species traditionally used for the treatment of malaria and wound healing in central, Southern and Northern part of Ethiopia. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to isolate active compounds from roots of A. pulcherrima and evaluate for their antibacterial and antiplasmodial activities using standard test strains. Bioassay-guided sequential extraction and column chrom-atographic separation were employed for the isolation of bioactive pure compounds. The structures of the compounds were determined by 1D and 2D NMR spectro-scopic techniques. Disk diffusion method was employed to evaluate the antibacterial activities of the isolated compounds against four bacterial strains specifically (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853). The malaria SYBR Green I-based in vitro assay technique was used for in vitro antiplasmodial activity evaluation of the compounds against chloroquine resistant (D6) and -sensitive (W2) strains of P. falciparum. Three compounds, chrysophanol, aloesaponarin I and aloesaponarin II were isolated from the acetone extracts of roots of A. pulcherrima. Evaluation of antibacterial activities revealed that aloesaponarin I and aloesaponarin II had significant activities against all the bacterial strains with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 18–27 mm as compared to the reference drug (gentamicin), which displayed inhibition zone diameter ranging between 20 mm (B. subtilis) and 25 mm (P. aeruginosa). The isolated compounds showed moderate in vitro antiplasmodial activity against both chloroquine resistant (W2) -sensitive (D6) strains. Isolation of chrysophanol, aloesaponarin I and aloesaponarin II from roots of A. pulcherrima is the first report of its kind. The finding could be used for further comprehensive evaluation of the isolated compounds for their antibacterial and antimalarial activities besides consideration of the same for potent drug development.
Over the last decades, endophytic fungi represent a new source of pharmacologically active secondary metabolites based on the underlying assumption that they live symbiotically within their plant host. In the present study, a new endophytic fungus was isolated from Rauwolfia macrophylla , a medicinal plant from Cameroon. The fungus showed a highest homology to Curvularia sp. based on complete nucleotide sequence data generated from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of ribosomal DNA region. Large scale fermentation, working-up and separation of the strain extract using different chromatographic techniques afforded three bioactive compounds: 2'-deoxyribolactone ( 1 ), hexylitaconic acid ( 2 ) and ergosterol ( 3 ). The chemical structures of compounds 1–3 were confirmed by 1 and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and comparison with corresponding literature data. Biologically, the antimicrobial, antioxidant activities and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory of the isolated compounds were studied.
Four new para-benzoquinone containing abietane-type diterpenoids (1–4) along with thirteen known diterpenoids (5–17) were isolated from the roots of Plectranthus punctatus. The structures of the compounds were established by detailed spectroscopic analyses and comparison with literature data. The compounds were tested for their antibacterial and cytotoxic activity and showed significant inhibitory activity against all bacterial strains used, with compounds 6, 8, 10, and 11 showing an inhibition zone for Staphylococcus warneri even greater than the reference drug, gentamycin.
The phytochemical investigation of the CH2Cl2/MeOH (1:1) extract of the roots of Pentas parvifolia led to the isolation of three new naphthalenes, parvinaphthols A (1), B (2), and C (3), two known anthraquinones, and five known naphthalene derivatives. Similar investigation of the roots of Pentas bussei afforded a new polycyclic naphthalene, busseihydroquinone E (4), a new 2,2'-binaphthralenyl-1,1'-dione, busseihydroquinone F (5), and five known naphthalenes. All purified metabolites were characterized by NMR and MS data analyses, whereas the absolute configurations of 3 and 4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The E-geometry of compound 5 was supported by DFT-based chemical shift calculations. Compounds 2-4 showed marginal cytotoxicity against the MDA-MB-231 human triple-negative breast cancer cell line with IC50 values ranging from 62.3 to 129.6 μM.
Phytochemical investigation of the ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Aloe megalacantha led to the isolation of four new natural products—1,8-dimethoxynepodinol (1), aloesaponarin III (2), 10-O-methylchrysalodin (3) and methyl-26-O-feruloyl-oxyhexacosanate (4)—along with ten known compounds. All purified metabolites were characterized by NMR, mass spectrometric analyses and comparison with literature data. The isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against a human cervix carcinoma cell line KB-3-1 and some of them exhibited good activity, with aloesaponarin II (IC50 = 0.98 µM) being the most active compound.
Background The emergence and spread of resistant microbes continue to be a major public health concern. Effective treatment alternatives, particularly from traditionally used medicinal plants, are needed. Objective The main objective of this study was to conduct phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity evaluation of selected traditionally used medicinal plants in Ethiopia. Methods The ethnomedicinal use value frequency index (FI) was used to select twelve medicinal plants. Phytochemical classes of compounds were screened using different standard methods. Anti-microbial activities of plant extracts were evaluated against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli , and Candida albicans . Minimum inhibitory concentrations were measured using the broth micro-dilution method. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 and the findings were presented descriptively and using non parametric one-way ANOVA analysis (Kruskal–Wallis/Ddunn’s test). Results The phytochemical constituents identified were flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, steroids, and terpenoids, with flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenols being the most abundant. The crude extracts and chloroform fractions of the extracts showed an activity against the tested strains. The crude extract of Thalictrum rhynchocarpum Quart.-Dill. and A.Rich root demonstrated superior activity against all the tested strains with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.48 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli ; 0.98 μg/mL against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and 3.90 μg/mL against Candida albicans , which are even better than the reference drug, gentamicin and clotrimazole. Conclusion The majority of evaluated medicinal plants demonstrated remarkable activity against tested microbial strains, which can be attributed to the presence of secondary metabolites of different classes of compounds. The finding provided scientific evidence for the use of these traditionally used medicinal plants.
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