BackgroundCancer is a leading cause of death world-wide, with approximately 17.5 million new cases and 8.7 million cancer related deaths in 2015. The problems of poor selectivity and severe side effects of the available anticancer drugs, have demanded the need for the development of safer and more effective chemotherapeutic agents. The present study was aimed at determining the cytotoxicities of 31 medicinal plants extracts, used in Nigerian ethnomedicine for the treatment of cancer.MethodsThe plant extracts were screened for cytotoxicity, using the brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) and MTT cytotoxicity assay. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell line, normal Vero cell line and the normal prostate (PNT2) cell line were used for the MTT assay, while Artemia salina nauplii was used for the BSLA. The phytochemical composition of the active plant extracts was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis.ResultsThe extract of Eluesine indica (L.) Gaertn (Poaceae), with a LC50 value of 76.3 μg/mL, had the highest cytotoxicity on the brine shrimp larvae compared to cyclophosphamide (LC50 = 101.3 μg/mL). Two plants extracts, Macaranga barteri Mull. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) and Calliandra portoricensis (Jacq.) Benth (Leguminosae) exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against the RD cell line and had comparable lethal activity on the brine shrimps. Further cytotoxic investigation showed that the dichloromethane fraction of Macaranga barteri (DMB) and the ethyl acetate fraction of Calliandra portoricensis (ECP), exhibited approximately 6-fold and 4-fold activity, respectively, compared to cyclophosphamide on RD cell line. Determination of selective index (SI) using Vero and PNT2 cell line indicated that DMB and ECP displayed a high degree of selectivity against the cancer cell under investigation. HPLC analysis showed that 3,5dicaffeoylquinic acid, acteoside, kampferol-7-O-glucoside and bastadin 11 were the major components of DMB while the major components of ECP were neurolenin B, nigrosporolide and trans-geranic acid.ConclusionThe results demonstrate the cytotoxicity of Macaranga barteri and Calliandra portoricensis extracts, which are used in Nigerian folklore for cancer treatment.

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BackgroundEchoviruses, a serotype of enteroviruses, infect millions of people globally and there is no specific drug treatment or vaccine available for its management. The screening of medicinal plants used locally for the treatment of infectious diseases, can provide a reliable option in the discovery of potent therapeutic compounds. This study was carried out to investigate the antiviral activities of 27 medicinal plant extracts, belonging to 26 different plant species, selected from Nigerian ethnobotany, against echovirus 7, 13 and 19 serotypes (E7, E13 and E19, respectively).MethodsThe plants were macerated in methanol and the cytotoxicities of the crude extracts were evaluated on the rhabdomyosarcoma cell line using the MTT assay. The antiviral activity of the plant extracts and fractions against echoviruses (E7, E13, and E19) was determined using the neutralisation assay, an assay that measures the inhibition of cytopathic effect on cell culture.ResultsThe crude extract of Macaranga barteri leaves had the highest cytotoxicity with CC50 value of 0.27 μg/mL. This was followed by Crinum jagus (9.88 μg/mL) and Terminalia ivorensis (12.14 μg/mL). The antiviral screening showed that ten out of the 27 crude plant extracts tested were active on E7 and E19, inhibiting the cytopathic effect of the virus in tissue culture. None of the extracts inhibited the cytopathic effect caused by E13 serotype. Amongst the active plant extracts, the methanol extract of M. barteri leaves had the highest antiviral activity on both E7 and E9 with IC50 values of 0.028 and 0.0017 ng/mL, respectively, followed by the Ageratum conyzoides extract (0.208 μg/mL, E7; 0.006 μg/mL, E19) and Mondia whitei extract (0.038 μg/mL, E7; 0.005 μg/mL, E19). Amongst the fractions of M. barteri, the DCM fraction was most the active and selective on E7 (IC50 = 0.0075 ng/mL; SI = 19,896.54) and E19 (IC50 = 0.0175 ng/mL; SI = 8581.24).ConclusionOur research has demonstrated that Macaranga barteri extracts has potent antiviral activity against echoviruses E7 and E19, and our findings suggest that this extract may have potential as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of enteroviral infections.

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Seven methanol extracts of seven plants from seven plant families were screened for antimalarial properties. The plants were identified and selected from Gboko and Kastina-Ala local government areas in the Tivland ethnobotany in the Middle Belt Zone of Nigeria. Methanol plant extracts were evaluated for in vitro antimalarial properties using the lactate dehydrogenase technique, with a multiresistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum K1. Quantification of activity was by estimation of the concentration of extracts that inhibited 50% growth of parasite (IC 50) in mg=ml. Of the seven plants screened, Erythrina senegalensis DC (Leguminosae), Pericopsis elata Harms (Papilionaceae), and Bridelia micrantha Benth (Fabaceae) had IC 50 values of 99.7, 124.8, and 158.7 mg=ml, respectively. Nauclea latifolia SM (Rubiaceae) extract exhibited the least activity in the assay with an IC 50 value of 478.9 mg=ml.

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted on plants used traditionally for the management of tuberculosis in five local government areas of Ogun State, Nigeria, in a bid to document herbs used in the management of tuberculosis with the aim of identifying possible drug lead from the phytomedicine of these communities. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain the required information on the use of herbal remedies for the management. A total of 50 respondents made up of herbalists (40.0%), herb sellers (52.0%) and traditional medicine practitioners (8.0%) were interviewed in the study. The dominant age of respondents was in the range of 21-40 years (72.0%). Duration of treatment of tuberculosis with herbs was between 2-12 weeks. A total of 36 plants belonging to 20 families were proffered for the management of tuberculosis. Eighty four percent (42%) of the 50 respondents interviewed said that their clients observed no side effects and that the herbs were either available in the forest or purchased from the markets. Cola acumminata (fruit), Garcinia kola (leaf), Vitallaria parodoxa (oil), Costus afer (stem), Pycnanthus angolensis (stem bark) and Aframomum melegueta (fruit) were the most frequently mentioned herbs. The ethnomedicines of the studied areas of Ogun State, Nigeria seem to have a high potential as a source of drug discovery of anti-tuberculosis. This is of utmost importance because people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are susceptible to tuberculosis.