Echinops Kebericho Mesfin Research Articles

Evaluation of anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of solvent fraction of the roots of Echinops kebericho Mesfin (Asteraceae) in mice model.

The present study was aimed at investigating the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the solvent fractions of the roots ofEchinops keberichoMesfin in rodent models of pain and inflammation. Successive maceration was used as a method of extraction using solvents of increasing polarity: methanol and water. Ethyl acetate, chloroform and distilled water were used as solvents of the fraction process. Swiss albino mice models were used in acetic acid induced writhing, hot plate, carrageenan induced paw edema and cotton pellet granuloma to assess the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The test groups received different doses (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) of the three fractions (chloroform, ethyl acetate and aqueous). The positive control groups received ASA (150 mg/kg) for the writing test, morphine (10 mg/kg) for the hot plate method, diclofenac Na for carrageenan-induced paw edema, and dexamethasone (10 mg/kg) for granuloma, while the negative control group received distilled water. EA fraction at all test doses employed (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg) showed statistically significant (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001 respectively) analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in a dose-dependent manner. The AQ fraction on the other hand produced statistically significant (p<0.05, p<0.012) analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities at the doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg, while the CH fraction exhibited statistically significant (p<0.05) analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity at the dose of 400 mg/kg. In general, the data obtained from the present study elucidated that the solvent fractions of the study plant possessed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities and were recommended for further investigations.

Influence of socio-demographic factors on medicinal plant knowledge among three selected ethnic groups in south-central Ethiopia

BackgroundThe influence of socio-demographic variables was widely explored to evaluate their impact on indigenous and local ethnobotanical knowledge. However, the studies conducted in Ethiopia mainly focused on rural areas. They were limited to exploring and documenting ethnobotanical knowledge and the associated impacts of socio-demographic variables in rural–urban interface areas among ethnic groups. Hence, this study aimed to document plant-based indigenous and local ethnomedicinal knowledge and the associated impacts of socio-demographic variables among selected three ethnic groups in south-central Ethiopia.MethodsEthnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 189 key informants, floristic species inventories, and field observations. Quantitative approaches were used to evaluate the use values (UV) of the most important medicinal plants, the informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), relative popularity level (RPL), and rank-order priority (ROP). Statistical tests were applied to evaluate the influences of socio-demographic factors and associations between variables on local ethnobotanical knowledge across ethnic groups in different informant categories.ResultsStatistical analysis revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the mean number of medicinal plants reported among age categories. There was also a positive association between the respondent's age and plant knowledge acquisition. Croton macrostachyus Hochst. ex Delile, Albizia gummifera C.A.Sm., Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Aloe macrocarpa Tod., Gymnanthemum amygdalinum (Delile) Sch.Bip., Calpurnia aurea (Aiton) Benth, and Allium sativum L. had the highest use values among ethnic groups. The highest informant consensus factor values were recorded for circulatory system disorders (0.68) followed by febrile illness and reproductive organ complications (0.66 each) across the three studied ethnic groups. The highest FL, RPL, and ROP values were noted for Lactuca inermis Forssk., Moringa stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, Allium sativum L., Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck, Ricinus communis L., Schinus molle L., Antiaris toxicaria (J.F.Gmel.) Lesch., Brucea antidysenterica J.F.Mill., Echinops kebericho Mesfin, Ocimum jamesii Sebald, Afrocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) C.N.Page, Searsia natalensis (Bernh. ex Krauss) F.A.Barkley, and Ricinus communis L. across ethnic groups in the study areas, which showed the conformity of knowledge on species curing potential and their prevalent uses.ConclusionThe study revealed that the ethnic groups of Gedeo, Oromo, and Sidama have considerable indigenous and local ethnobotanical knowledge practices. Statistical analysis shown high variation in the acquisition of local ethnobotanical knowledge among age groups, which boosted our understanding of the effects of socio-demographic factors on the local ethnobotanical knowledge dynamics. Thus, this finding advocates for efforts to repair the observed generation gap via continued professional support and educating local communities to preserve traditional knowledge and practices through systematic documentation.

Conservation implications of mapping the potential distribution of an Ethiopian endemic versatile medicinal plant, Echinops kebericho Mesfin.

Echinops kebericho is a narrow-range multipurpose medicinal plant confined to Ethiopia. Intense land use change and overharvesting for traditional medicine have resulted in narrow distributions of its populations. It is a threatened species with a decreasing population trend. This study aims to map its potential distribution, which is key to guide conservation efforts and sustainable use. We modeled the potential distribution of E. kebercho using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) employing 11 less correlated predictor variables by calibrating the model at two complexity levels and replicating each model 10 times using a cross validation technique. We projected the models into the whole of Ethiopia and produced binary presence-absence maps by classifying the average map from both complexity levels applying three threshold criteria and ensembling the resulting maps into one for the final result. We mapped suitable habitat predicted with high certainty and identified local districts where E. kebericho can be cultivated or introduced to enhance its conservation. We estimated that E.kebercho has about 137,925 km2 of suitable habitat, mainly concentrated in the western highlands of the Ethiopian mountains. Our models at both complexity levels had high average performances, AUC values of 0.925 for the complex model and 0.907 for the simpler model. The variations in performance among the 10 model replicates were not remarkable, an AUC standard deviation of 0.040 for complex and 0.046 for simple model. Although E. kebericho is locally confined, our models predicted that it has a remarkably wider potential distribution area. We recommend introducing E. kebericho to these areas to improve its conservation status and tap its multiple benefits on a sustainable basis. Locally confined threatened plants and animals likely have wider potential distributions than their actual distributions and thus similar methodology can be applied for their conservation.

Ethnobotanical study of endemic and non-endemic medicinal plants used by indigenous people in environs of Gullele botanical garden Addis Ababa, central Ethiopia: A major focus on Asteraceae family.

Gullele Botanical Garden (GBG) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is a joint venture of Addis Ababa government and the university. The garden has been built mainly to conserve the endemic plants and to advance the research on the endemic and non-endemic plants collected from different part of Ethiopia. Many traditional healers from the environs of GBG and different subcities of Addis Ababa depend on the garden for their practice of traditional medicine but there is no systematic documentation of the traditional medicinal knowledge of these healers. The main objective of the present study is to comprehensively document the ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal information from the traditional healers of different ethnic and cultural groups depending on GBG and to create a database of the endemic plants used by these healers. The ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal data obtained from 60 traditional healers have been analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. A total of 81 medicinal plants belonging to 47 families have been identified. Majority of the plants used belonged to Asteraceae (12) family. The most frequently used plant form and plant parts are herbs and leaves. The major method adopted by the healers for preparation and administration of traditional medicine is crushing and topical, respectively. Skin and general diseases are the most important ailments treated by the healers. The three most cited plants used to treat diseases are Echinops kebericho Mesfin (60), Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F.Gmel (60) and Laggera tomentosa (A.Rich.) Sch.Bip. ex Oliv. & Hiern (58). The present study is the first systematic, qualitative, and quantitative ethnobotanical analysis and documentation done on the use of the medicinal plants from GBG for traditional medicine. In addition, our study reveals that E. kebericho is endemic and endangered plant and is highly used in traditional medicine. Therefore, GBG authorities should take steps for the propagation and restoration of this plant. Further it is suggested that the pharmacological properties of the roots and leaves of E. kebericho should be compared to find the possibility of use of leaves in place of roots for the preparation of traditional medicine which would help in conserving this endemic plant of Ethiopia.

Antibacterial Activities of Echinops kebericho Mesfin Tuber Extracts and Isolation of the Most Active Compound, Dehydrocostus Lactone.

Echinops kebericho Mesfin is traditionally used for the treatment of various infectious diseases. This study investigated antibacterial activity of the essential oil (EO) and the different fractions of ethanol extract. The most active component was isolated and identified. Isolation and purification was accomplished using chromatographic techniques while identification was done by spectroscopic method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the broth micro-dilution method. In bioactive-guided isolation, percent inhibition was determined using optical density (OD) measurement. The MICs of the essential oil ranged from 78.125 μg/ml to 625 μg/ml, and its activity was observed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, NCTC 12493). Ethyl acetate fraction showed high activity against MRSA (NCTC 12493), MIC = 39.075 μg/ml followed by Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 49532), MIC = 78.125 μg/ml and was least active against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), MIC = 1,250 μg/ml. MIC of hexane fraction ranged from 156.2 µg/ml to Escherichia coli (ATCC 49532) to 1,250 μg/ml to E. coli (NCTC 11954). The MICs of chloroform fraction ranged from 312.5 to 2500 μg/ml; while butanol fraction could be considered pharmacologically inactive as its MIC value was 2,500 μg/ml for all and no activity against E. coli (NCTC 11954). Dehydrocostus lactone was successfully isolated and identified whose MIC was 19.53 μg/ml against MRSA. Dehydrocostus lactone isolated from E. kebericho M. showed noteworthy antibacterial activity which lends support to ethnopharmacological use of the plant. Further optimization should be done to improve its antibacterial activities and pharmacokinetic profile.

Acute and repeated-dose toxicity of Echinops kebericho Mesfin essential oil.

Echinops kebericho Mesfin is used for the management of various diseases and fumigation during child birth. This study investigated acute and repeated-dose toxicity of E. kebericho M. essential oils (EOs). The study was conducted in Swiss albino mice. Organ weight, histopathology and clinical chemistry were analyzed. The dose and duration of treatment were defined in accordance with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guideline. No mortality was observed in acute oral dose toxicity study up to 2000 mg/kg per body weight. Compared to control group, treated groups did not show significant abnormalities in body weight and most parameters of clinical chemistry parameters and relative organ weight in repeated-dose toxicity study. However, urea, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, and relative organ weight of right kidney showed variations in treated groups compared to control group. All treated groups and control group showed normal histology except lymphocytic infiltrates observed on the kidney with 200 mg/kg treated female group. The current study revealed that EO of E. kebericho M. could be considered well tolerated in acute and repeated-dose exposure. Further, teratogenic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and sub-chronic and chronic toxicity studies are warranted.

Quantification of Phenolic Compounds by HPLC-DAD and In vitro Antioxidant Activity of Root Extract of Echinops kebericho Mesfin (Asteraceae)

Echinops kebericho Mesfin is wild endemic medicinal herb to Ethiopia and the root is used traditionally for the treatment infectious and non-infectious diseases. This study was designed to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds and in vitro antioxidant activity of the root extracts. Seven phenolic acids, six flavanols, and two aliphatic organic acids were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), among which hydroxycinnamic acid (413.14 ± 6.60 µg/g), quercetin-3-O-galactoside (7.07 ± 0.34 µg/g) and succinnic acid (702.95 ± 42.54 µg/g) were the major components. The methanol extract exhibited the highest total phenolics (29.14 ± 0.38 milligram gallic acid equivalent gram of dried extract), total flavonoid content (1.08 ± 0.03 milligram of quercitin equivalent/gram of dried extract), and antioxidant activities followed by ethanol and water extracts. Antioxidant capacity were 99.96 ± 7.53µg/mL and 246.88 ± 15.60µg/mL as determined by the DPPH (IC 50 ), ferric reducing power (IC 50 ) assays, respectively. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were strongly correlated with DPPH (R 2 = 0.93, R 2 = 0.91) and ferric reducing power (R 2 = 0.98, R 2 = 0.71), respectively. The study revealed that crude root extract of E. kebericho can be used as natural antioxidants as well as for preventing oxidative stress mediated human disorders. Keywords: Antioxidant activity; DPPH; ferric reducing; Herb; Echinops kebericho; phenols DOI : 10.7176/CPER/62-02 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

In Vitro and In Vivo Antitrypanosomal Activities of Methanol Extract of Echinops kebericho Roots.

Microbial resistance to the few conventional antitrypanosomal drugs, increasing resistance of vectors to insecticides, lack of effective vaccines, and adverse effects of the existing antitrypanosomal drugs justify the urgent need for effective, tolerable, and affordable drugs. We assessed antitrypanosomal effects of the hydromethanolic extract of Echinops kebericho Mesfin roots against Trypanosoma congolense field isolate using in vitro and in vivo techniques. Parasite load, packed cell volume (PCV), body weight, and rectal temperature in Swiss albino mice were assessed. This finding is part of the outcomes of drug discovery research for neglected tropical diseases. The extract arrested the motility of trypanosomes within 40 min at 4 and 2 mg/mL concentration, whereas in the untreated control, motility continued for more than 160 min. The extract also reduced parasitemia and prevented drop in PCV and body weight significantly (p < 0.05), as compared to control. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of flavonoids, triterpenes, steroids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, and alkaloids. It is observed that this extract has activity against the parasite. Isolation and purification of specific compounds are required to identify hit compounds responsible for the antitrypanosomal activity of the studied medicinal plant.

English

Increased resistance to insecticides and established drugs by malaria vectors necessitate the search for alternative cost-effective malaria control tools in the Ethiopia. Traditional remedies are the most important source of therapeutics of the population and more than 85% of the traditional medical preparations in Ethiopia are of plant origin. As the Ethiopian indigenous medicinal plants' knowledge and diversity is vulnerable to be lost continuous documentation and preservation of traditional knowledge and the plant species is a priority. Thus, we report an ethnobotanical survey of plants traditionally used for malaria prevention and treatment in an indigenous villages of Tepi town south western Ethiopia. To document anti-malarial plant traditional knowledge and determine level of utilization for prevention and treatment of malaria by households, 40 household heads were surveyed by snow ball sampling of which eight household heads addressed by systematic purposive sampling were traditional healers. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using SPSS version 20. A total of twenty five plant species belonging to twenty two families have been reported. The most cited plant species for malaria prevention by healers were Cyperus species (52.11%), Allium sativum L. (24.15%), Lepidium sativum L. (9.34%) and Echinops kebericho Mesfin. (7.82%). This study has documented more anti-malarial plant species to be used in the indigenous village. The existing medicinal plant species and the indigenous knowledge on traditional medicinal plants in the study area were under serious threat and were at risk of getting lost. Therefore, urgently warrant sustainable conservation and further research is needed. Key words: Indigenous knowledge, malaria vectors, medicinal plants.

Anti-schistosomal activities of Echinops kebericho Mesfin root and Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F Gmel flower part crude extracts in Swiss albino mice

Objective: To evaluate the in vivo antischistosomal activities of the crude extracts of Echinops kebericho Mesfin (E. kebericho) root and Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F. Gmel (H. abyssinica) flower. Methods: Mice were infected with (150 ± 10) Schistosoma mansoni cercariae by paddling technique. Crude extracts were administered orally for five consecutive days at doses of 300, 600 and 1 200 mg/kg/day along with 200 mg/kg/day praziquantel and 3% tween 80 given as a control. Results: E. kebericho root extract showed a statistically significant (P

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF Echinops kebericho AGAINST HUMAN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA AND FUNGI.

Background:Traditional medicine remains the primary source of health care in developing countries. Echinops kebericho Mesfin is a well known endemic medicinal plant in Ethiopia and is traditionally used to treat both infectious and non-infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibacterial and antifungal activities of water, ethanol and methanol based crude extracts of E. kebericho Mesfin against selected human pathogenic bacteria and fungi.Materials and methods:Crude extracts of E. kebericho Mesfin were prepared by maceration method. Disc diffusion assay of the extracts was carried out in four different concentrations against three different bacterial species and two clinically isolated fungal species. Agar dilution method was used to determine minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal and fungicidal concentrations of the extracts.Results:Water based extracts exhibited the lowest antimicrobial activity when compared the ethanol and methanol based extracts (P< 0.05). Among the tested microorganisms, S. aureus, C. albicans and A. flavus were the most sensitive to alcohol based extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the alcohol based extract ranged from 3.12 to 25μg/ml while those of the water based extracts were 100μg/ml and above. The lowest bactericidal and fungicidal concentrations of the ethanol and methanol based extracts were observed to be 6.25μg/ml against S. aureus and C. albicans and 37.5μg/ml against E. coli.Conclusions:The traditional use of E. kebericho by local people in treating various types of infectious and non-infectious diseases was supported by this study. Antimicrobial activity of the medicinal plant varied with those of extraction solvents and against tested microorganisms.

In vitro Evaluation of Antileishmanial Activity and Toxicity of Essential Oils of Artemisia absinthium and Echinops kebericho

Potential toxicity, costs, and drug-resistant pathogens necessitate the development of new antileishmanial agents. Medicinal and aromatic plants constitute a major source of natural organic compounds. In this study, essential oils of Artemisia absinthium L. and Echinops kebericho Mesfin were investigated by GC and GC/MS analyses. Isolated oils were screened for antileishmanial activity against two Leishmania strains (L. aethiopica and L. donovani), and toxicity on the human monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cell line and red blood cells in vitro. GC/MS Analysis revealed 65 compounds (93.74%) for Artemisia absinthium and 43 compounds (92.85%) for Echinops kebericho oil. The oils contained the oxygenated monoterpene camphor (27.40%) and the sesquiterpene lactone dehydrocostus lactone (41.83%) as major constituents, respectively. Both oils showed activity against promastigote (MIC 0.0097-0.1565 μl/ml) and axenic amastigote forms (EC(50) 0.24-42.00 nl/ml) of both leishmania species. Weak hemolytic effect was observed for both oils, showing a slightly decreased selectivity index (SI 0.8-19.2) against the THP-1 cell line. Among the two oils tested, E. kebericho exerted strong antileishmanial activity that was even higher than that of amphotericin B with significant cytotoxicity. This study, therefore, demonstrated the potential use of both oils as source of novel agents for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

In vitro and ex vitro seed-based propagation methods of Echinops kebericho Mesfin:A threatened medicinal plant

In vitro and ex vitro seed-based propagation methods of Echinops kebericho Mesfin:A threatened medicinal plant

Volatile constituents of the roots of Echinops kebericho Mesfin

AbstractVolatile fractions from the roots of Echinops kebericho Mesfin were obtained by hydrodistillation and solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS); 65 compounds, representing 73.9% of the volatile fraction in the hydrodistillate from the roots, and 63 compounds, representing 78.6% of the volatile compounds in the SPME extract of the roots of E. kebericho, were identified. The main constituent found in hydrodistilled essential oil was eudesm‐7(11)‐en‐4‐ol (14.3%), followed by caryophyllene oxide (9.7%) and τ‐cadinol (8.3%). High amounts of β‐cubebene (22.7%), followed by β‐patchoulene (11.1%), longifolene (10.4%), and cyperene (8.2%), were detected by SPME. Using both extraction methods, a total of 83 compounds were detected in E. kebericho essential oil. Monoterpenoid compounds represented 2.1% (seven compounds) and 2.1% (10 compounds) of the essential oil volatiles obtained by hydrodistillation and SPME, respectively, whereas sesquiterpenoids represented 72.5% (43 compounds) and 75.7% (31 compounds), respectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Zingiber Officinale Roscoe and Echinops Kebericho Mesfin Showed Antiplasmodial Activities against Plasmodium Berghei in a Dose-dependent Manner in Ethiopia.

The emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to antimalarial drugs necessitated the search for new drugs from natural products. Zingiber officinal Roscoe and Echinops Kebericho Mesfin are traditional herbal medicines widely used for the treatment of malaria in Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to assess the toxicity profile and in vivo antiplasmodial activities of 70% methanol crude extracts of both plant materials against Plasmodium berghei. Healthy male Swiss Albino mice of age 4-5 weeks and weight 25-36 g were infected by P. berghei. The extracts were administered orally at doses 5000, 2500 and 1250 mg/kg for acute toxicity of E. kebericho Mesfin. Graded doses at 1000, 500 and 250 mg/kg used for four days suppressive studies. Parasitemia, body weight, packed cell volume (PCV) and survival time were determined. SPSS Version 20 was used for the analysis of data of parasitemia, body weight, PCV, and survival times. Statistical significance was determined by one-way ANOVA. Independent t-test was used to compare results. Results were presented as a mean ± standard error of the mean (M ± SEM). All data were analyzed at a 95% confidence interval (α= 0.05). At the dose of 5000 mg/kg, E. kebericho Mesfin showed no toxic effects. The LD50 of extract could go beyond the dose used. In vivo antiplasmodial activity of extracts showed excellent chemo suppression at 500 and 1000 mg/kg in a dose dependent manner compared with the negative control. The chemo suppressions of the 1000 mg/kg of both plant extracts were 49.53 ± 1.90% and 32.83 ± 1.03%, respectively. The survival times of P. berghei infected mice were also a dose dependent manner while failed to prevent weight loss. The extracts of both medicinal plants showed antiplasmodial activities against P. berghei. It confirmed the literature findings and their traditional uses.