Abstract
Background and objectivesThe use of herbal concoctions is very popular in South Africa, including Limpopo Province. The herbal concoctions are claimed to be capable of treating numerous illnesses such as ulcers, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, certain STDs, blood cleansing to mention but a few. The focus of this study was to evaluate the anti-HIV 1 reverse transcriptase, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous activities as well as cytotoxic effects of 2 fermented herbal concoctions used for the treatment of the related ailments in Limpopo province of South Africa.MethodTwo fermented herbal concoctions obtained from a herbalist in Polokwane were extracted with 80% acetone. The anti-HIV activity of the herbal concoctions was determined using the anti-HIV reverse transcriptase assay. The anti-cancer and cytotoxic effects of the herbal concoctions were evaluated using cancerous Human Colon (HT-29) cells and the normal human Hepatoma cells (C3A) respectively.ResultsNotable anti-HIV reverse transcriptase activity was observed from the 80% acetone fraction of herbal concoction 1 (IC50 38.031 μg/mL) which exhibited better activity than the positive control Lamivudine (IC50 40.90 μg/mL). There was variation in the anti-inflammation activity as determined by the sPL2, 15-LOX and COX enzyme assays. The only concerning matter was the high COX-1 activity in some of the extracts, which is not desirable due to the mucosal protection action of COX-1 enzyme. The herbal concoctions did not exhibit cytotoxic effects on normal human cells, however, toxicity against cancerous cells was observed.ConclusionThe herbal concoctions displayed some considerable pharmacological effects against various ailments as claimed by the herbalist. More work to ascertain the toxicity of both concoctions against cancerous cells need to be followed as this could lead to the discovery of anticancer drugs.
Highlights
Background and objectivesThe use of herbal concoctions is very popular in South Africa, including Limpopo Province
The anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) potential of COX%Inhibition 1⁄4 1⁄2ð100%initial activity (IA) - InhibitorÞ=100%IA Â 100the herbal concoctions was evaluated by determining their capability to inhibit the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase where IA is inhibition absorbance
The smaller the concentration (IC50) of a drug required to inhibit HIV-reverse transcriptase (RT) whilst exhibiting minimum or no toxicities can be considered for pharmaceutical development
Summary
Background and objectivesThe use of herbal concoctions is very popular in South Africa, including Limpopo Province. The focus of this study was to evaluate the anti-HIV 1 reverse transcriptase, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous activities as well as cytotoxic effects of 2 fermented herbal concoctions used for the treatment of the related ailments in Limpopo province of South Africa. In South Africa, there is great cultural diversity and several ethnic groups, which results in the massive use of medicinal plants throughout the provinces [2]. Several ethnic groups use traditional knowledge to cure various infectious diseases caused by parasites, bacteria and viruses in addition to the treatment of poisonings caused by snakes and scorpions as well as skin diseases, inflammations, bronchial conditions, fever and pains [4,5,6]. There are approximately 20,000 herbal plants in the world used for medicinal purposes [7]. In South Africa, there are 30,000 species of higher plants and there are approximately 350 species which are traded as medicinal plants [8]
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