Anti-infective Assessment of Dichrostachys cinerea Root Bark, an Ivorian Anti-asthmatic Herbal

Abstract

Dichrostachys cinerea root bark is used in Ivorian folk to manage asthma attack. As asthma is often accompanied with secondary infections, this study aimed to assess its potential effects of this medicine against microorganisms. An aqueous-alcoholic extract was obtained from Dichrostachys cinerea root bark. The growth of bacteria in the presence of the extract was measured by the method of dilution in microplate. The antiparasitic potent of the extract was determined on cell culture in microplate with determination of the parasitic viability by reading the optical density of wells in optical microscope. The antifungal activity of the extract was measured by the method of dilution in tube. At 200; 100; 50; 25; 12.5; 6.25 and 3.125 mg/mL the extract did not inhibit growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. IC90 of the plant extract on Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Caenorhabditis elegans and Aspergillus fumigatus was superior to 125 µg/mL and on average 50 µg/mL on Leishmania donovani and Candida albicans. In conclusion, the extract did not exert any significant anti-infective effect towards the studied microorganisms, supposing that Dichrostachys cinerea root bark would be effective only to delete bronchospasm, the main characteristic of asthma attack.