Abstract
BackgroundPremna resinosa (Hochst.) Schauer also called “mukarakara” in Mbeere community of Kenya is used in the management of respiratory illness. In this study we investigated antituberculous, antifungal, antibacterial activities including cytotoxicity and phytochemical constituents of this plant.MethodsAntibacterial and antifungal activities were investigated by disc diffusion and micro dilution techniques. Antituberculous activity was investigated using BACTEC MGIT 960 system while cytotoxicity was analyzed by MTT assay on Vero cells (Methanolic crude extract) and HEp-2 cells (fractions). Finally, phytochemicals were profiled using standard procedures.ResultsP. resinosa had high antituberculous activity with a MIC of <6.25 μg/ml in ethyl acetate fraction. The antibacterial activity was high and broad spectrum, inhibiting both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Dichloromethane fraction had the best antibacterial MIC of 31.25 μg/ml against Methicillin-resistant S. aureus while Ethyl acetate fraction had the highest zone of inhibition of 22.3 ± 0.3 against S. aureus. Its effects on tested fungi were moderate with petro ether fraction giving an inhibition of 10.3 ± 0.3 on C. albicans. The crude extract and two fractions (petro ether and methanol) were not within the acceptable toxicity limits, however dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions that exhibited higher activity were within the acceptable toxicity limit (CC50 < 90). The activity can to some extent be associated to alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, anthraquinones and phenols detected in this plant extracts.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that P. resinosa has high selective potential as a source of novel lead for antituberculous, antibacterial and antifungal drugs. Of particular relevance is high activity against MRSA, S. aureus, C. albicans and MTB which are great public health challenge due to drug resistance development and as major sources of community and hospital based infections.
Highlights
Premna resinosa (Hochst.) Schauer called “mukarakara” in Mbeere community of Kenya is used in the management of respiratory illness
Since the traditional preparation involved steeping the roots peels in water, alcoholic beverage, or chewing root peels, we first screened for antimicrobial activity using water and methanolic crude extract to mimic this traditional extraction mode
We investigated the antituberculous activity of crude extracts and fractions (Tables 2 and 8)
Summary
Premna resinosa (Hochst.) Schauer called “mukarakara” in Mbeere community of Kenya is used in the management of respiratory illness. All medicines have an herbal origin with statistics showing that over 80 % of chemical drug compounds originated from natural material [1]. A survey by UNCTAD has shown that 33 % of drugs produced by industrialized countries are plant derived while 60 % have a natural origin [2]. World health organization (WHO) estimates that 80 % of the world population presently use herbal medicine for some aspects of their primary health care [4]. This shift to herbal medication can be attributed to the following factors: 1. The low cost of herbal drugs endearing them with the poor mass of developing world; 2. This shift to herbal medication can be attributed to the following factors: 1. the low cost of herbal drugs endearing them with the poor mass of developing world; 2. the ‘green’ movement in the developed countries that advocates on the inherent safety and desirability of natural products; 3. the individualistic philosophy of western society that encourages self-medication, with many people preferring to treat themselves with phytomedicines [5, 6]
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